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Author and former military man Frank Chase Jr. grew in Baltimore, MD. He got interested in writing from watching movies and listening to a radio show called mystery theatre, but it was only in his thirties after a divorce that his desire to write escalated. His debut book “False Roads to Manhood: What Women Need to Know: What Men Need to Understand” took him seven years of research and writing. If he weren’t a writer, Frank would be a stage actor as it has been his passion since high school.Being a writer has taught him that everyone will not agree with you or what you may write, but it leaves a record and a legacy that can help future generations long after you have passed on. He is currently writing a scripture-centered book and also plans on writing a fiction novel soon. Read full interview…

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It’s amazing when you discover a new biblical truth. That what happened to me several years ago when I went on a biblical journey to study tithing. What I uncovered literally shocked me into truth. I also discovered how easy it is to be biblically ignorant even when you think you are an well informed person. Needless to say, I suspect that many believers are not as astute in biblical theology and understanding. It’s no fault of their own, but when you allow so-called biblical experts tell you what the Bible says, without you doing personal follow-up, you’ll most likely become well informed in biblical error.

In the case of tithing and what the Bible defines as a tithe, many of us have become victims of phantom tithing passages interpreted in mysterious spiritualistic ways to get money for the church. In this post, I really want you to see that many experts, theologians, scholars, and Bible readers have not fallen for the Sunday morning tithe stickup. Where do people get the idea that God requires money as a tithe? I would have to say ignorance, confusion and a lack of scripture study is the culprit. This post will be a list of quotes from many in the christian community debunking the tithe myths that exist today. Based on the research that I have done in my book, kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway, tithing money or paying a tenth of your income is actually not in the Bible. In fact, phantom tithing verses and propaganda come from pervasive biblical illiteracy, and that can be financially dangerous to the believers in church. Proper biblical exegesis, hermeneutics, context and theology have fallen to wayside, and the idea of what a person thinks the scripture means personally has become the standard. That opens the door to private interpretation of the scripture which the Bible warns against. For example, many people think the phrase, “God helps those who helps themselves” is a verse in the Bible when it actually is not in the Bible. Because of phantom verses, many people believe tithing money is in the Bible, when it actually is not. So what are the experts, theologians, scholars saying about tithing? Let’s take a journey. But Before we do that, I would like to share with you, why i resigned from tithing.

What are People Saying About Tithing?

Studying the full scope of tithing as presented in the Bible, one discovers that tithing is first mentioned in Genesis 14: 17-24, where Abraham is described as “giving” a voluntary offering of a tenth to Melchizedek, King/priest of Salem. Of course, we “pay” an obligation, but we “give” a gift because we choose to. There was no law of tithing in the Word of God demanding that Abraham pay Melchizedek tithing on the spoils of war. (Also, see Chapter III.)

Because Abraham “gave” tithes to Melchizedek before Moses and the ceremonial laws of Moses’ day, some contend that the practice of tithing is perpetual.

In addition, some churches contend that Abraham paid (not “gave” as Scripture reads) a tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizedek because there was an unwritten tithing law that required him to do so. Consider this. This action by Abraham is in no way related to the law of tithing later revealed in the Book of Leviticus. The Levitical law required that tithe be paid only on land and animals. (Lev. 27:30-31.) Spoils of war do not represent an increase from farming. The Mosaic law required that the priests receive 1/500th of the goods from the spoils of war, not 1/10th. The Levites received 1/50th of the spoils of war, not 1/10th. The law concerning spoils of war had nothing to do with tithing. (Numbers 31: 27-29.) Now, if Moses, in Genesis, were recording a universal law of tithing at the time of Abraham, why does he depart from this law some 400 years later? Abraham’s gift was one of free-will, an offering of thanksgiving. Nothing more, nothing less!

It is true, of course, that tithing was a part of the ceremonial codes (Deuteronomy 14:22-29 and 26:12), but the fallacy of assuming that there was a perpetual law of tithing at the time of Abraham, is immediately observed when one studies the practice of circumcision. Circumcision existed before Moses (Genesis 17:10) and was adopted into the ceremonial codes as was tithing (Exodus 12: 44, 48 and Leviticus 12:3); however, as we see in Colossians 2:16,17, Paul states that Christ’s death made void the ceremonial laws (Hebrews 9: 8-11), including the practice of circumcision (Galatians 5:6; 6:15, and 1 Corinthians 7:19). Therefore, even though circumcision and tithing were practiced before Moses and the writing of the ceremonial codes, this practice did not make either of these acts perpetual. (Taken from Beware The Tithe Trap by Dr. Fillmer Hevener)

1st Century Jewish perspective

The 1st Century Jews who were the very first Christians–and who are the Christian example that we have in the bible—had a unique perspective. Perhaps we have lost this perspective in the church of today–having to deal with so many years of tradition from which most of our churches operate.

The people in the Bible understood certain things–I believe much better than we do. They had experience that we do not have–we understand certain things that are stated in the Bible–but we do not live them out in the same way that they did–and one of the reasons this is –is because of the particular perspective the 1st Century Jews operated from.

These people had “grown up” in the traditions of the Jewish faith of that day. They lived out their lives–their tradition in these ways-

They paid a tithe–which consisted of 1/10 of their goods–1/10 of the herd and the crops which they grew. It was the part of most of the people to (those who were not of the tribe of Levi) to render this tithe to the priests–the Levites.

The Levites were the anointed appointed delegated authority within Israel to do ministry. They were the only ones who were lawfully allowed to serve God–to perform the many and various ministries–offerings unto God throughout the year. The Levites had the “office of ministry”. They had authority over the rest of Israel to be the ones who were chosen by the covenant laws delivered to Moses, to be the tribe of Israel which were allowed to be ministers unto the Lord. No one else in Israel could be a minister. No one else had the anointing to do this. The Levities were delegated by the law to be the ministry which received the tithe. They offered the tithe–which is holy unto God–as the sin offering for the people–the rest of Israel–and themselves. Their ministry function was to properly make these offerings unto God–to properly use the tithe–the offering to God for the sin of the people. They also lived on the tithe–they were allowed to eat of the slain animals–and partake of the fruits and grains which were offered through the tithe. (Taken from Vision of the Church)

Leviticus 25:1: And the LORD spake unto Moses in Mt. Sinai saying,

Verse 2: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye come into the land which I shall give you, then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the LORD.

Verse 3: Six years shalt thou sow thy field, and six years shalt thou prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;

Verse 4: But in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

Verse 5: That which growth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the Land.

Verse 6: And the Sabbath of the land shall be meat (food) for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for the stranger that sojourneth with thee.

Verse 7: And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.

The Israelites observed a seven-year agricultural (and tithing) cycle. Every seventh year the land (and the tithers) got a break. No large-scale reaping was to be done, so no tithes were to be paid. Any Jewish rabbi will tell you no tithes were paid in ancient Israel on the seventh year, and tithes were never collected from the wages of the poor. During the Sabbatical year, people were to take from the land just what they needed for their own personal consumption, and nothing more. How would this set with “conservative” preachers who holler about having a strong work ethic, and making the most (money) out of every waking moment of your life? What if somebody out in the congregation decided that every seventh year he would ditch the factory job, sling on a backpack and go live off the land like the Indians did before the coming of the white man?

Today’s tithers simply don’t get that seventh-year break commanded by Scripture. They’re pressured to slave SEVEN years out of seven to satisfy Organized Religion’s hunger for finances. When one job isn’t enough, people are encouraged to work two. Preachers LITERALLY (and wrongly) apply the Tithing Law, while “spiritualizing away” people’s need for physical rest, to keep the cash rolling in. Parents who must work extra jobs come under criticism because they aren’t always there for the kids and “have poor family values”. Think of it. God actually gave the farmer a whole year off every seventh year from plowing, sowing and reaping, besides their weekly Sabbath Day rest. God even cared about the land, which is nothing but dead, wormy dirt! Funny how preachers don’t worry about other Christians dropping dead from overwork. I kinda suspect God is a lot more merciful than His supposed representatives up in the pulpit. (Taken from the article Rewriting Scripture to Justify Tithing)

Several years ago when I fist started learning about tithing, I joined an Yahoo Tithing Study group. This group of believers were very well versed on tithing. One of the profound questions that escapes some people who subscribe to monetary tithing is that they never ask how God’s tithing system became a money grab for the church. Let me tell you that insofar as scripture is concerned, the Bible was not source. The catholic unilaterally established a (income based) tithe by means of religious church legislation patterned after secular law in the six century. I cover this phenomenon in my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? Here is what the catholic church decided, “The earliest positive legislation on the subject seems to be contained in the letter of the bishops assembled at Tours in 567 and the canons of the Council of Maçon in 585. In course of time, we find the payment of tithes made obligatory by ecclesiastical enactments in all the countries of christendom.” The process of ripping up the God’s biblical tithe laws to change them to fit the needs of the worldwide catholic church began by proclamations to the effect: “The Church looked on this payment as “of divine law, since tithes were instituted not by man but by the Lord Himself” (C. 14, X de decim. III, 30). As regards the civil power, the Christian Roman emperors granted the right to churches of retaining a portion of the produce of certain lands, but the earliest instance of the enforcement of the payment of ecclesiastical tithes by civil law is to be found in the capitularies of Charlemagne, at the end of the eighth century.” (Taken from New Advent). So what we have is that the Catholic juggernaught took it upon themselves to decree and declare that income-based tithing was legal based on their personal doctrinal view of the authority as religious leaders of the world. They felt it was not necessary to prove monetary tithing from the Bible because when they decreed it, that meant it was law.

Now some people believe tithing always existed in America and in the churches but, but as I discovered in my research, tithing money or income based tithing did not appear in American churches until it was invented in 1873 by Alexander L. Hogshead and John W. Pratt according to the Dean of Vanderbilt University’s James Hudnut-Beumler’s book, “In Pursuit of the Almighty Dollar,” (c) 2007 Vanderbilt University. You can see an article written by Russell Kelly explaining the invention of the the in United states in 1873, in an article titled, 1873: TITHING FIRST SUGGESTED IN USA.

Manipulating the Bible is can be done so easy and yet the hearers never question that a scripture is taken out of context. For example, when tithing taught using Proverbs 3:9, it reads, “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase..” Now, in the average congregant ears, what are they hearing after they have been indoctrinated into the income-based tithing system? Well, this is how the verse is contorted in their mind, “Honor the Lord with your money, with the first 10% of your paycheck. Mind you, the actual verse has nothing to do with money. Proverbs 3:9 is about edible items not cold hard cash. You can check out a book bubble I wrote on first fruits titled, What Are First Fruits in the Bible? The internet is the greatest invention known to man and it has exposed all the falsehoods about income-based tithing. What do we know about tithes and first fruits?

“Tithes and first fruits were not given concurrently during each year. For example, first fruits were offered on the 16th day of the first money (Nisan) and the sixth day of the third month (Sivan) of the Jewish calendar year. In contrast, the year for the tithing of livestock [not money] commenced the first day of the sixth money (Elul); while harvest tithing initiated on the 15 day of the 11th month (Shevat). The specific tithes were due one year form the date preceded. (Sources: “The Book of Our Heritage”, By Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov/The MacArthur Study Bible, p. 185 [NKJV], by John MackArthur. (Taken from A Closer Look At Tithing by Victor T. Stephens”

When you pay money to a church as in tithing a tenth of your income, you are paying a tax of sorts. I would even say that you a paying a temple tax or a spiritual tax which the Lord does not require. What he does ask is that believer have a whole heart of giving.

Israel’s Tithing System

We cannot stress too strongly the importance of interpreting Scripture in context. By the simple expedience of beginning the text two verses earlier, we can see how dramatically that alters one’s perception. For example, in the New Testament, there is a verse that every Christian in the world knows – it is from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi and he writes, “Work out your salvation in fear and trembling,” I imagine that most Christians are familiar with this verse but how many can complete the sentence? “for it is God that is at work within you to will and to do.” [Phil. 2:12-13]

Now, if it is true that we have to be careful to set verses in their context, it is imperative that we also set the text into its historical and cultural context. In order to see these verses in their proper light, we must first ask the question – Under what Covenant was Malachi writing, the Old or the New? Quite clearly, Malachi is both Old Testament and Old Covenant. Therefore, any exposition and contemporary application needs to take that into account.

Unlike the New Covenant where we are a “Priesthood of Believers,” in the Old Covenant was a “Priest-class” – a specific tribe designated as Priests and this was the tribe of Levi. The Levitical Priesthood, as it was known, is the concern of the Malachi passage. The over-arching argument of Hebrews is that the Priesthood of Jesus is better than the Levitical Priesthood. The writer to the Hebrews insists that:

The Levitical Priesthood was inferior to the priesthood of Melchizedek;

The Levitical order is both outclassed and replaced by the new order and has become redundant.

Under the now redundant Levitical system, the priests acted as representatives for the people and served as mediators between them and God. Whilst having priestly privileges, a Levite had no worldly comforts. For example, he had no income and no property. A Levite had no independent means of support whatsoever. Moreover, when Jacob divided Israel’s inheritance, there was not even an allotment to Levi. In such circumstances, the other eleven tribes met the day-to-day needs of the Levites. It was, if you will, an Old Covenant quid pro quo – The other eleven tribes not being allowed to minister unto the Lord is tempered by the Levites not being able to work.

The solution was an entirely practical and pragmatic one. Each tribe would be responsible for bringing into a central storehouse one-tenth of their produce to meet their everyday needs. The Malachi passage is a rebuke to those who were withholding their support and thus, compromising this system.

I am of the view that tithing is one of the things in the Bible that is “biblical” but not Christian. I readily admit that for some that is a bitter pill to swallow but we take it for granted that circumcision is clearly biblical and yet, it is not viewed as Christian. The same can be said of polygamy. My fundamental objection is that those who press the hardest the case for tithing demand that we give like Israelites do not themselves live like Levites.

Moreover, if tithing is a New Covenant praxis, why does Paul not mention it when he writes a thoroughgoing passage on giving? I do not think that it is sufficient to argue from silence that tithing was an axiom of the Christian life. Accordingly, I raise the following objections:

The Levitical priesthood belongs to the now obsolete Levitical Priesthood;

The entire book of Hebrews makes the argument that Jesus and His Covenant is superior to Moses and his covenant;

The point to note is not that Abraham paid the tithe but that Levi paid it. His purpose in doing so is to pose the question, “Which is the greater priesthood, the one who paid the tithe or the one who received it?”;

Hebrews confirms that there has been both a change in the priesthood and a change in the law;

In the New Covenant, there is no such office as Priest, rather, we are a royal priesthood; priest and pastor are not interchangeable terms;

In the end as it relate to giving, you have to be free not to give and if you are not, then you are not free to give because it does not come from the heart but from percentage. Become a freewill give and don’t get trapped in the tentacles of income based tithing. Below is one of my readers. Thanks Charles for joining the tithe conversation.

Author and former military man Frank Chase Jr. grew in Baltimore, MD. He got interested in writing from watching movies and listening to a radio show called mystery theatre, but it was only in his thirties after a divorce that his desire to write escalated. His debut book “False Roads to Manhood: What Women Need to Know: What Men Need to Understand” took him seven years of research and writing. If he weren’t a writer, Frank would be a stage actor as it has been his passion since high school.Being a writer has taught him that everyone will not agree with you or what you may write, but it leaves a record and a legacy that can help future generations long after you have passed on. He is currently writing a scripture-centered book and also plans on writing a fiction novel soon. Read full interview…

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My book has been nominated for Book Cover of the Month on AllAuthor.com. It would be greatly appreciated if you could take a moment to vote.Vote Now »

Thank you for your support,Frank Chase Jr

﻿﻿

One of the reasons, I write these tithing blogs is to make sure people have information to fight against the monetary deception. For the Bible says in Hosea 4:6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” To reject knowledge about God’s authentic, authorized biblical agricultural and herd and flock tithe can lead to financial ruin. The Law of God declares the tithe as edible items but today most of God’s people have forgotten the law of their God and changed His tithe into a money collection system that has produced a grotesque financial aristocracy in the leadership of the institutional church.

Many pastors argue that how are they suppose to pay the church bills if people don’t tithe. Many of them are taught in seminary what the true tithe is, but are cautioned not to teach what the Bible actually says because they my go bankrupt if the people don’t give. So pastors think they only have two options in order to survive: one, they much teach people will be cursed if they don’t tithe ten percent of the annual income or two, trust God in faith to provide the money from voluntary gifts given from the heart as the Bible in instructs in 2 Cor. 9:7 that “each should give according to what he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly, or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (CJB). Now, Paul’s statement makes it clear that every individual must decide how much to give, which makes it illegal to say that a tenth of someone’s income is required by Yahweh. No pastor or church is authorized to use the Old Testament tithe law in the New Convenant.

When Paul wrote Hebrews 7:18, it reads: “For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment…” The question to ask is what is the former commandment that Paul sets aside and annuals. Based on strict exegesis from Hebrews 7:5 which reads: ” And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; …” the commandment Paul refers to setting aside is Hebrews 7:5 because he refers to no other commandment in the chapter or any surrounding chapters. So as it stands, the “disannulling of the commandment” is no other than Paul setting aside the Levite’s tithe commandment for the institutional church and the believer. So why did Paul disannull the tithe command? The next verse in Hebrews chapter 7, verse 19 says why tithing is set aside in the New Testament: “for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” The new hope in Christ is that we give from the heart as we purpose in our hearts. Just as Christ gave his life freely, we give freely as he did without compulsion or grudgingly as cheerful freewill grace givers. Paul rejected tithing because he understood that Christ came from another priesthood and considered Levi’s priesthood as one that was made after a carnal command.

Based on the law, and in Hebrews chapter 7 verse 5, the Bible says that Levi had the commandment to collect and receive tithes. If you look in Numbers 18:26, reads “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth of the tithe.” From this verse, it is clear that the Levites had to pay a tithe of the tithe. In other words a tenth of the tenth. Mathematically that is one percent. So that means the High Priest Aaron and his son received on one percent of the tithe. The chapter also says that Levi paid tithes in Abraham when Abraham tithe to Melchizedek (Heb. 7:9). What Paul indicates in this chapter is that Abraham’s one-time tithe was for Levi (the future priesthood of Israel), and not a tithe for Abram himself.

The Bible debunks money tithing because tithing is commanded in the scripture from agricultural increase in Leviticus 27:30-33, Deut. 12:17, Duet. 14:23, 28, 2 Chron. 35:1-6 Nehemiah 10:37 and 12:44, Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42. Anyone who suggests of commands Christians to pay tithes from income have misread the Bible when it clearly proves there is no such thing as tithing o non-agricultural increase. Agricultural tithes were mandatory in the scripture and they came from land based products. And by the way, offerings were required three times a year and guess what, only men were required to bring offerings. See Deuteronomy 16:16 which reads “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.”

Most pastors love to use the Abraham argument of tithing before the law law to justify why believers must pay a tithe in the age of grace. However, as James Ngari of Facebook’s Tithing. The Bitter Truth dispels any notion that tithing is required or that Abram freely tithe based on God’s command when he wrote:

Abraham’s Tithe to Melchizedek Reflected Pagan Tradition. The false teaching is that Abraham freely gave tithes because it was God’s will. For the following reasons, Genesis 14:20 cannot be used as an example for Christians to tithe.

(1) The Bible does not say that Abraham “freely” gave this tithe.

(2) Abraham’s gift was NOT a holy tithe from God’s holy land gathered by God’s holy people under God’s holy Old Covenant.

(3) Abraham’s tithe was only from pagan spoils of war common to many nations.

(4) In Numbers 31, God only required 1% of spoils of war.

(5) Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek was a one-time recorded event.

(6) Abraham’s tithe was not from his own personal property.

(7) Abraham kept nothing for himself; he gave everything back.

(8) Abraham’s tithe is not quoted anywhere in the Bible to endorse tithing.

(9) Genesis 14, verse 21, is the key text. Since most commentaries explain verse 21 as an example of pagan Arab tradition, it is contradictory to explain the 90% of verse 21 as pagan, while insisting that the 10% of verse 20 was God’s will.

(10) If Abraham is an example for Christians to give 10% to God, then he should also be an example for Christians to give the other 90% to Satan, or to the king of Sodom!

(11) Since neither Abraham nor Jacob had a Levitical priesthood to support, they had no place to bring tithes and probably left food for the poor at their altars.

Another person in the feed on Facebook wrote that item (12) would be that Abram had to kill someone before he had the elements to tithe.

Not only does the Bible debunk tithing, but many people throughout history have argued that tithing money is not biblical and that God never required.

Didascalia Apostolorum (ca. 225)

“No more be bound with sacrifices and oblations, and with sin offerings, purifications, and vows . . . nor yet with tithes and firstfruits. . . . for it was laid upon them [i.e., the Israelites] to give all these things as of necessity, but you are not bound by these things. . . . Now thus shall your righteousness abound more than their tithes and firstfruits and part offerings, when you shall do as it is written: Sell all thou hast, and give to the poor.”

The Waldenses, followers of Peter Waldo (ca. twelfth century), believed that tithes should not be given to priests “because there was no use of them in the primitive Church.”

Allix, “Some Remarks upon the Ecclesiastical History of the Ancient Churches of the Piedmont,” 1690, reprint, Bible Truth Library: Bible and Church History Collection, The Bible Truth Forum, CD-ROM. Available from http://www.bibletruthforum.com, 218, 232.

Thomas Aquinas (1225–1275)

“Paying tithes, it appears, is no longer of precept, because the precept to pay tithes was given in the Old Law. . . . Paying tithes cannot be considered a moral precept, however, because natural reason does not dictate that one ought to give a tenth, rather than a ninth or an eleventh. Therefore, it is a ceremonial or a judicial precept.”

Roger Williams has been credited with founding the first or second Baptist church in America. In 1652, Williams concluded that ministers of the gospel are to serve freely and be supported freely, “and that not in stinted Wages, Tithes, Stipends, Salaries, &c. but with larger or lesser supplies, as the Hand of the Lord was more or lesse extended in his weekly blessings on them.”

Milton wrote forcibly against tithes, which he considered ceremonial and abolished.

John Milton, Considerations touching the likeliest means to remove hirelings out of the church. Wherein is also discourc’d of tithes, church-fees, church-revenues; and whether any maintenance of ministers can be settl’d by law.(London: L. Chapman, 1659), A9–A10, 15–18, 32–35, 37.

John Bunyan (Baptist; 1628–1688)

John Bunyan (1628–1688), author of Pilgrim’s Progress, commented on Luke 18:10–13, “This paying of tithes was ceremonial, such as came in and went out with the typical priesthood.”

The Little Parliament (1653), under Cromwell and the Independent Churches, was moving toward voluntarism, that is, “that the maintenance of Churches by means of tithes ought to be done away.”

Henry William Clarke, History of English Nonconformity, 2 vols.(London: Chapman and Hall, 1911-1913), 1:374.

Martin Luther (1483–1546)

“I would even be glad if [today] lords ruled according to the example of Moses. If I were emperor, I would take from Moses a model for [my] statutes; not that Moses should be binding on me, but that I should be free to follow him in ruling as he ruled. For example, tithing is a very fine rule, because with the giving of the tenth all other taxes would be eliminated. For the ordinary man it would also be easier to give a tenth than to pay rents and fees. Suppose I had ten cows; I would then give one. If I had only five, I would give nothing.”

“That the due maintenance of the Officers aforesaid, should be of the free and voluntarie contribution of the Church, that according to Christs ordinance, they which preach the Gospell may live of the Gospell: and not by Popish Lordships and Livings, of Iewish Tithes and Offerings.”

Henry Martyn Dexter, The Congregationalism of the Last Three Hundred Years, as Seen in Its Literature (New York: Harper, 1880), 307.

“VII. That the due maintenance of the Officers aforeſsaid ſhould be of the free and voluntary contribution of the Church, that according to Chriſts ordinance they which preach the Goſpell, may live of the Goſpell, and not by Popiſh Lordſhips and livings or Iewiſh Tithes and offerings.”

Henry Ainsworth and Francis Johnson, An Apologie or Defence of Such True Christians as are commonly (but vniuſtly) called Brovvwinsts (n.p.: n.p., 1604), 58.

John Smyth (1609)

John Smyth (1609), a Separatist whom many credit with being the first Baptist, said that Christ abolished tithes.

Robinson was the pastor of the “Pilgrim Fathers” before they left on the Mayflower. Robinson remained in Holland with the majority of the congregation. He wrote that he supported the views of Ainsworth and Smyth. In his argument, he claimed that the author of Hebrews taught that “the law is abolished by the gospel, in the sense we speak of: and the old testament by the new, in respect of ordinances,” and tithing was one of those ordinances that had been abolished. He argued that the maintenance of ministers should be through voluntary contributions.

John Robinson, The Works of John Robinson: Pastor of the Pilgrim Fathers, 3 vols., edited by Robert Ashton (London: John Snow, 1851), 2:185-86; 466-67.

Adam Clarke (ca. 1762–1832)

“I say again, let there be a national religion, and a national clergy supported by the state; but let them be supported by a tax, not by tithes, or rather let them be paid out of the general taxation; or, if the tithe system must be continued, let the poor-rates be abolished, and the clergy, out of the tithes, support the poor in their respective parishes, as was the original custom.”

Adam Clarke, Clarke’s Commentary: A New Edition, with the Author’s Final Corrections,6 vols. (New York: Methodist Book Concern, 1846), 1:179-80.

Charles Buck (English; 1833)

His article on tithing stated that nothing in the New Testament commanded tithing since “the divine right by which they were raised necessarily ceased.”

John Newton Brown (1803–1868), who wrote the draft of the New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1833), edited an encyclopedia. The article on tithes in this encyclopedia (published in 1836) explicitly said they ceased. The New Hampshire Confession of Faith was a precursor to the Baptist Faith and Message.

“I hear a great deal about the tithing of incomes. I have no sympathy with the movement at all. A tenth in the case of one man is meanness, and in the case of another man is dishonesty. I know men today who are Christian men in city churches and village chapels, who have no business to give a tenth of their income to the work of God. They cannot afford it. I know other men who are giving one-tenth, and the nine-tenths they keep is doing harm to their souls. (Taken from http://www.truthaccordingtoscripture.com/documents/articles/tithing.php#.WhcwALQ-f1I).

There is no scripture in the Bible were they did turn the land and crop tithe into money, but what the Israelites did with the money once they got to the temple blows up any argument that Israelites paid money to the temple or to the priests. Here is what Deuteronomy 14:24-27 says, “But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the LORD your God has blessed you, 25 then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. 26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. 27 You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.” This scripture clearly debunk monetary tithing because God told the Israelite farmer and herders that if the livestock and crop tithe was to much to carry to the temple festival site, they could sell their tithes and carry the money rather than the goods to the temple site. When they arrived at the place where God choose he told them according the Jewish Bible “…and exchange the money for anything you want–cattle, sheep, wine, other intoxicating liquor, or anything you please–and you are to eat there in the presence of Adonai, and enjoy yourself , you and your household (verse 26).”

Based on scripture, not one penny of the money carried to temple was ever paid as a tithe. In fact it is clear that they spent the money on food and drink and ate the tithe in what I would call a potluck dinner. They had a party with God and ate good food celebrating the blessings they had received. Sorry pastors, Duet. 14 is not a smoking gun for monetary tithing, but it is a clear rejection of the monetary tithe scam. Following the examples of the New Covenant giving principles is the only way to support ministry and churches.

In my effort to debunk false tithing claims, let me give you more refutations that blow up the pro-monetary tithe doctrine so that you will know that truth does not lie but sheds light on falsehood. We often hear preacher say that tithing was before the law. That claim is false because the tithe before the law was not the same as the tithe in the law. The tithe was not commanded until the law was established under Moses. The tithe ordinance law was abolished by the institution of the New Covenant and Hebrews 9 and 10 makes this clear. Another twisted tithe searching asserts that tithing is how God’s church receives support. There is no verse in the Bible to substantiate that claim so it is false because Paul stated that believer support the church in this way 2 Cor. 9;7: Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (NIV). One of the most heinous violations of scriptural interpretation is when a pastors say, tithing keep the Devil from attacking your finances. This is blatant robbery of God’s people and is patently false and out of context because Malachi 3:8-11 is not talking about money tithing. And the devourer mentioned in the verse refers to Israel’s devourer which is locusts. Here is an excerpt from my book, kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? that explains the devourer in the proper Hebrew text.

The theological question one must ask is: Who is the devourer? Is he the devil or is he something or someone else? If you don’t know, keep reading and the truth will set you free from fear forever. So let’s see what the Bible says based on the Hebrew language and not what man says from personal interpretation. In Malachi 3:11, the key word is devourer. From Strong’s #398, devourer in the Hebrew is “akal.” It means to eat, feed, or consume. It refers to something that eats food, either man or animal. The Hebrew word has six meanings: “1) to eat (human subject), 2) to eat, devour (used of animals and birds), 3) to devour, consume (used of fire), 4) to devour, to kill (used of sword), 5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects: that is, pestilence, drought), 6) to devour (used of oppression).”

If you examine the context of Malachi 3:11 and the six meanings and nuances of the Hebrew word “akal,” then who and what is the devourer? Using word study and replacing the word devourer in the text with each of the Hebrew meanings will show you how to interpret the text.

And I will rebuke the [humans] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…

And I will rebuke the [birds, animals, insects] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…

And I will rebuke [fire] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground;… And I will rebuke the [pestilence, drought] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…

And I will rebuke the [sword] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…

6. And I will rebuke the [oppressor] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…

Because the Hebrew word “akal” has different nuances and meanings, we must examine its use in the text to make sure who and what the context of Malachi 3:11 refers to when it uses the word devourer. In Exodus 24:16-17, devourer is used to describe God as a devouring fire. What we see in the text is God in a theophany (a manifestation or appearance of a deity), as a cloud in verse 16 and fire in verse 17. To the Israelites, the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire (Devourer Heb. akal KJV) on top of the mountain. In this context, the devourer (akal) is not the devil but is God as a manifestation.

In Deuteronomy 4:24, “akal” is used to describe God as a consuming fire. “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire (Hebrew Akal), a jealous God.” The context of this verse has no connection to the devil but ascribes human feelings and affections to God associated with jealousy using figurative language, which is often called anthropopatheia in theology.

In Genesis 37:33, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers and they took his coat of many colors and killed an animal and dipped Joseph’s coat in the blood to fake his death to Jacob. Jacob said in verse 33 “…It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured (Devourer Heb. akal) him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces” (NIV). The word devourer in this context is the nuance that speaks of an animal consuming human flesh like a devouring beast. No way one can insinuate that the devil is referenced in this verse either. To equate the devil with the word devourer would mean that Joseph’s brothers would have had to say the devil ate the body of Joseph. That is preposterous!

It is amazing what word study can do for people who seek truth to what a word means in the Bible. Word study is a valuable study practice to ward off false doctrine. The same Hebrew word “akal” is used in Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat (“akal”) from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat (“akal”) from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.” As I stated earlier, devourer in this nuanced context of the Hebrew word “akal” deals not with an animal but with Adam, a human, eating from the trees in the Garden of Eden. There is no way you can turn the Hebrew word in this verse into the devil either. I hope you realize at this point that the devourer in Malachi is not the devil and never has been.

When the prophet spoke in Malachi 3:11, could he have had Psalms 105:34-35 in mind because the same Hebrew word “akal” describes what devourer means. The verse says, “He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number; they ate up [“akal”] every green thing in their land, ate up [“akal”] the produce of their soil” (NKJV). The text shows that pests were devouring everything in Egypt. There are many other instances of devourer appearing in the Scripture that show the word “akal.” Amos 4:6-9 and Exodus 10:3-5, 14-15 refers to the same Hebrew word “akal,” where pests are eating something.

Nowhere does the word “akal” imply that the devourer is the devil. From the list I gave, only number 2 is the correct word for Malachi 3:11. In the verse God uses the pronoun he to indicate something that eats crops. The context shows that God will rebuke insects or locusts from destroying their crops and would prevent fruit from falling off the vine before they ripen. The devourer is not the devil in Malachi. So there is no curse on you or your money for not tithing. If you suspect that my analysis is wildly inconclusive, then let the Bible explain itself. Malachi 3:11 says, “I will also stop locusts from destroying your crops and keeping your vineyards from producing” (CEV). The NIV says, “I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty.”

When God said he would rebuke the devourer, he was only speaking of little creatures and insects that destroy agriculture. There was no blessing of rain because God shut up the sky. Without rain, the animals would starve and die of thirst. So in Malachi it was drought and insects that caused problems for the Hebrew people all because the priests profaned the tithing covenant laws of Levi. The Hebrew language explains and proves the devourer in Malachi is not something you should be afraid of unless you are a farmer. The curse of Malachi is God holding back rain from the land and allowing insects to run rampant throughout the crops during a drought. If Israel tithed livestock and crops in the manner God instructed, He promised to give them rain, to keep locust from eating their crops and that the fruit from the trees wouldn’t fall prematurely. What God promised in Malachi is directly related to Israel’s agricultural land economy and nothing to do with money. Malachi is not talking about your paycheck. Finally, if a pastor tells you that you will not receive God’s best and are cursed for not tithing, tell him or her the New Testament says in Galatians 3:13 that Christ became sin and a curse for us, so there is no curse for not tithing. Tell them that Paul wrote, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (NIV).

No matter what you hear come from the pulpit, always remember that when the Bible says tithes, God is asking for eatable agricultural products from the land and livestock.

One of the most common claims made about tithing is when Christians say, “I tried tithing and it works,” but that claim is false because tithing money is based on a false assumption and false motive that tithing is money that God requires. The reality is, God does not honor a practice based false assumptions and misinterpretation of scripture. Then we have other believer saying, “The Lord convicted me to tithe.” That may sound noble, but it is a false claim because the Holy Spirit always convicts based on truth and not falsehood, lies or error. The conviction to tithe does not come from the Lord, it comes from the conviction of another who browbeats people to pay ten percent from the pulpit or be cursed. It really is not the Lord convicting Christians to tithe, it is fear of a so-called curse from God that motives people to believe that ten percent of their paycheck is required from Yahweh. One of the latest shell tricks from the pulpit is to tell believers that Jesus is their Melchizedek as if that is enough to force them to believe in tithing, which some do. Melchizedek was a priest and because Jesus priesthood was after the order of Melchizedek, all believers are required to tithe. It is false because Hebrews 10:12 says, “But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,” This scam won’t work because we are all no Kings and Priests in the Kingdom of God and as such, we as priest don’t pay a tithe. There is no more sacrifice or tithing because our high priest Christ is sat down at the right hand of the father.

If people take time to study their Bibles, it would not be difficult to debunk tithing. However, when I studied the subject I wanted to make sure I left no tithing scripture unturned. So in my power point original tithing study on New Testament Giving compiled some evidence from others on how others refuted an debunked false tithing claims. Check out the two slides below.

Author and former military man Frank Chase Jr. grew in Baltimore, MD. He got interested in writing from watching movies and listening to a radio show called mystery theatre, but it was only in his thirties after a divorce that his desire to write escalated. His debut book “False Roads to Manhood: What Women Need to Know: What Men Need to Understand” took him seven years of research and writing. If he weren’t a writer, Frank would be a stage actor as it has been his passion since high school.Being a writer has taught him that everyone will not agree with you or what you may write, but it leaves a record and a legacy that can help future generations long after you have passed on. He is currently writing a scripture-centered book and also plans on writing a fiction novel soon. Read full interview…

Folks, many pro-tithers take pride in saying, the New Testament does not command anyone to not tithe. In fact, many times Mathew 23:23 is used as proof text to prove you must tithing money to the church. However if anyone has an ounce of biblical sense, they would know that Jesus’ instruction based on the context of the verse is not about tithing money. When he said “not left the other undone” many pro-tithers think the endorsement of tithing in Mathew references your weekly paycheck. Tithing in the Bible was never based on a weekly or biweekly paycheck process. Tithing in the Bible was based on the sabbatical cycle not a paycheck cycle. The tithe was land based not income based. Many who argue that the New Testament does not say not to tithe, think they have you over a barrel, when they use this verse out of context. But what tithers fail to understand is that New Testament wouldn’t have to say not to tithe because the words “not left the other undone” that Jesus spoke referred to agricultural and livestock tithing. Jesus was not endorsing a monetary tithe. He simply told the hypocritical Pharisees that crops and cattle should be tithed and not left undone. There is no monetary tithe context in Mathew 23:23. The reason why the New Testament does not command believers not to tithe is because the first century audience already knew the the tithe was edible items which was a tenth part of the crops and every tenth animal from the land of Israel. Trying to play a scriptural shell game with the scriptures will not work if someone knows the land, language and literature of the God’s people.

It is hard to convince people that the Bible does not endorse monetary tithing, and even in the face of overwhelming scriptural evidence to support that a tenth of their income is not required of God, it amazes me that people choose ignorance over truth. But maybe if someone else provided proof, maybe that would help. So below I posted a Facebook friend’s answer to the argument that says, the New Testament does not say not to tithe. Or the question goes, show me where the Bible commands us not to tithe. The following is a post by Anthony Todd on Facebook:

I humbly and with all due respect request someone to tell me of one verse in the New Testament that tells us not to tithe. Please don’t twist or change a verse to suit your opinion or inclination. This group has been characterized by name calling, insults and the sort, I wish you avoid that in your responses. Talk the truth not your opinion.

Kimathi Remmy RE: “Thanks for all those responses people. Now in reference to the teachings of the Bible (Which is our guiding book) How did Jesus (Who is God) disqualify tithing? Mention the word for me to understand this. Thank you.”

>>> Why would God have to “disqualify” tithing to people God never “qualified” it to in the first place? And…

1. Where did God instruct Christians to pay/surrender tithes? NOWHERE.

2. Where did God ever tell us that a church or a pastor has a right to takes tithes? NOWHERE.

3. Where did God transfer the ownership of the tithe from the tribe of Levits to to any Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Teacher, Evangelists, church, ministry, organization, or anyone? NOWHERE….

“Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.” – Numbers 18:26

4. Where did God instruct Christians to “continue tithing?” NOWHERE.

5. Where did God establish the paying of money as “tithing?” NOWHERE.

6. Where did God instruct Gentiles to tithe in the Old or New Testament? NOWHERE.

7. Why didn’t the first church council when the Apostle James (speaking for the Apostle Peter), include in his instructions to the Gentile Believers to “make sure you tithe”?….

“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.” – Acts 15:28-29

Not one word from the Apostles Peter or James to tithe. If tithing was so important and an instruction from to tithe; why did the Apostle Peter leave it out of his instructions?

> Also, left out of this verse…

“Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law [i.e., tithe: Jesus said tithing was a matter of the law – Matt. 23:23]: to whom we gave no such commandment:” – Acts 15:24.

If tithing was required and taught in the New Testament for Christians, it would have to be clearly detailed and outlined in the terms and conditions of the New Testament like all promises and commands of the New Testament are.

Tithing instructions would be clearly included in the New Testament. No such terms, conditions or details are outlined anywhere in the New Testament. Tithing was never, is not now, and will never be part of the New Testament.

No Apostle ever taught tithing, asked for a tithe, rebuked any person or church for not tithing, or received a tithe. Not one of them. The early church (i.e. Book of Acts) NEVER tithed. We have NO record of them doing so.

>>> AND ONE LAST QUESTION…

An inconvenient question; one that tithing teachers and tithers avoid and prefer not to discuss or answer…

If we are supposed to be tithing money, or at all for that matter, as tithing teachers claim; why are we not supposed to be doing what God says with the tithe money? Like this…

1. Do not pay the tithe in the form of money. Keep the money in your hand (bind it to your hand) until you…

2. Buy wine with it.

3. Buy strong drink (harder liqueur) with it.

4. Buy livestock and other food.

5. Buy whatever you desire, whatever you lust after.

6. Share what you buy with a Levite and family.

7. Only convert your tithe money back to fruits, vegetables and clean live stock, etc., at the location you will share it with a Levite if it is too far to transport it in the form God says it is to paid in.

8. Eat your tithe with the Levite.

9. Learn to fear and respect the Lord by doing one through eight above.

>> Why don’t tithing teachers tell their faithful tithers this?…

> Deuteronomy 14;

22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. 23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. 24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: 25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: 26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, 27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

>>> CONCLUSION; as you can see, these five unscriptural attempts to pressure Christians into tithing do not hold water and are not validated when scripture is closely scrutinized and studied. If proper biblical interpretation and using the Bible to interpret the Bible is employed, each false argument falls like a house of cards. We are called by God to be free will cheerful generous givers, not tithers.

The Facebook post above shuts down the felonious argument that the New Testament does not say stop tithing. I used felonious on purpose because it related to a crime, and it is a crime to force people to pay a tithe from their paycheck, which amounts to robbery. In chapter 12 of my book, The Gospel Syndrome I address the the issue Matthew 23:23 and point out that the New Covenant has not been established so the Old Testament Laws of paying the herd and crop tithe was well in effect. Here’s an excerpt from Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?

“Jesus did not ask for an income based tithe because money is capaciously absent from Matthew 23. An established monetary system did exist in Jesus’ time, and the Scriptures confirm this by informing us of an incident where He turned over the moneychanger’s tables in the temple.

Remember, the events in the Matthew’s Gospel and the other gospels took place simultaneously when the temple stood and the Old Covenant was still in effect with the Levites performing temple duties and collecting tithes. None of this had any connection to the New Covenant because the Old Covenant still operated and had not been superseded by the New Covenant. Matthew 23:23, does not apply to the Ekklesia (today’s congregation of believers). Many people assume that Matthew 23:23 was transferred to the New Testament Ekklesia as a requirement. This is not the case because the tithe laws applied only to the Hebrew people as a part of God’s Covenant with the Levites for their service in the temple. The disciples were not Levites and did not work in the temple and the physical rituals associated with the Old Covenant temple services in Jerusalem do not govern today’s New Testament Christian congregation. “That’s why tithe teachers cannot prove Christ paid or collected tithes. During His ministry from age 30 to 33, Jesus never used tithe money to support His ministry or pay ministry expenses. Moreover, the Bible proves this in Luke 8:3, which details how Christ obtained support: “Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means” (NIV). Christ and the disciples were supported by private funds and freewill offerings from many followers who believed and not by tithes.

In Matthew, the eatable tithe of mint, dill and cumin the Pharisees and scribes offered is worthless because it was without a commitment to judgment, mercy and faith. When tithing is taught as a requirement to receive a blessing, it is an error. The context of Matthew 23:23 refers to tithing under to the law and this is what the Pharisees followed. So the next time you hear tithing was before the law, you know the preacher or teacher is contradicting Jesus by trying to disconnect tithing from the law. Here’s the problem with preachers who use Matthew to prove God wants Christians to tithe 10 percent of their income.” Excerpt From: Frank Chase Jr. “Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? iBooks.

Since the church has a inordinate fascination with money, lets look at some verse from the Bible where money is mentioned so that we can see if money was ever tithed in the scriptures. Now I can tell your that a huge section of my book covers money in the Bible and I know for certain that money wherever is it mentioned, there is not one instance where God said pay a tithe with money.

The everlasting argument Bible theologians, scholars, pastors, Christians and those who investigate Bible history and archeology is whether we can say with certainty that biblical peoples tithed money or crops or both. What was the money used for in the Bible? Was there ever an instance where money was paid as a tithe? Or did Yahweh ever commute the agricultural, herd and flock tithe to money? In the OT the both the words money and tithe are mentioned. But are these items the same? A quick search finds that there are 140 scripture references to money. So let’s look at some verse to see it God wanted money as a tithe.

Money is mentioned is Gen 17: 12-13, 23, “And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.”

The Hebrew word money is Strong’s 3701 (Keseph/kesep). This type of money was a type of metal, silver with a pale color (TWOT 1015a). It was not coins or paper money, it was pieces of silver for use in buying and trading.

The above verses context deals strictly with the circumcision covenant between God and Abraham.

The only command God gives Abraham is that when he buys a slave or one that is born in his house with money to circumcise them.

God issues no command in this context to tithe the money.

One must find somewhere from Genesis 1 to the end where God issued a command to tithe money.

In reference to money, you must examine how Abraham got all his money. You can trace Abrahams money trail from his time in Ur of Chaldess in Gen. 11:31 – Gen. 13: 2-3.

None of Abraham’s wealth came through tithing, but through a promise

The context of these verses is circumcising people born in his house and circumcising purchased slaves bought from a foreigner

God mentions money to Israel during Exodus 30:16, which deals with paying redemption money (gold or silver) to the temple during the census, “And thou shalt take the ATONEMENT MONEY of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.”

The context here is for temple/sanctuary dues not tithes and certainly not a tenth of money. Wow!

The payment was required for every Israelite twenty year old up during the census.

The atonement money was used for Temple upkeep, not Tithes. The atonement money was not a tithe, a tenth or ten percent.

There was no special treatment given to the rich or poor. Everyone needs redemption and payment was the same for all, a half-shekel.

Each man had to pay when he became a certain age.

Notice women and children did not pay.

The amount of the half-shekel cannot be figured out exactly but in Today’s values as best we can tell was anywhere from 5 to 8 dollars. Back in Moses time it could have been anywhere from 25 Cents to 50 Cents. All of this was determined by the values of the specific times.

Every male in Israel paid this money yearly to the tent of meeting.

9. The Bible clearly shows the tent of meeting (OT Sanctuary) was supported by ransom/atonement money and not by a tithe in Exodus in in the pre-law society of Israel.

Conclusion of Exodus: What does Exodus tell us about money? Every reference to money in Exodus says nothing about paying money as a tithe to the Tent of Meeting. But it is explicit as to what money was used for. Here are the facts of scripture with no conjecture or private interpretation.

Money was used to buy servant/slaves

Money was used to purchase women in reference to marriage and if a woman was refused in marriage the man was required to fulfill her rights.

The abuse of a slave was forbidden because the slave represented money.

Money was paid when a owners bull kills another Israelite.

Money was paid when by a owner who dug a pit and didn’t cover it up and another person’s animal fell in and died.

Money was paid if a person thief if he was caught for stealing someone stuff left in the care of another one home.

Money was paid by a man who had sex with an un-betrothed virgin if the father refused to give her in marriage.

When money was loaned to a fellow Israelite, no interest is to be charged.

Money was paid as a ransom/redemption during census. It was given to the tent of meeting as a payment to God for protection.

Genesis and Exodus, no tithing was mentioned. But in Leviticus chapter 27:30-33, God finally mentions the tithe and describes it in detail and breaks down the contents of the tithe and never mentions tithing as money. If God required money as a tithe, the verses would have had to indicate the Hebrew word for money, which is Kesafim and the list would cite silver, gold, or shekels but the verse does not.

“30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s: it is holy unto the LORD. the LORD’s: it is holy unto the LORD. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. 33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”

The tithe is seed of the land

The tithe is fruit of the tree

The tithe is herds (cattle and oxen), flocks (sheep and goats)

The tithe is every tenth animal that passes under the Shepard’s rod

The tithe is not money. The Hebrew word for money is Kesafim and is not shown in the list of requirements

The agricultural tithe could be bought back with an additional fee attached and the farmer could keep the tithe but paid an additional fee on top of the cost of the tithe. The money the Israelite paid to keep his tithe was not a tithe, it was given in lieu is the tithe.

The Hebrew word for tithe is Ma’aser. It is Strong’s 1711h. The word means tenth part, not ten percent, as it is understood in cash. They tithed a tenth part of the crops (seeds of the land and fruit of the Trees) and every tenth animal from the increase only.

The tithe was from grain, fruit, nuts, grapes, herds and flocks.

The first place money is referenced in Numbers is on Num. 3:48-51: 48 And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons. 49 And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites: 50 Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 51 And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

The money in the verse is the same Hebrew word Keseph, which is silver.

The Levites were not originally supposed to serve in the Tent of Meeting, it was the first born males of all the tribes. See Numbers 3:45

God changed his mind after the Golden calf incident, see Exodus 32:26.

God wanted all the firstborn of Israel but choose the Levites and their animals.

There were 22, 000 Levites and 22, 273 first born Israelites.

Those that were over the count were 273 Israelites and they had to pay redemption money of five shekels per head.

The money was not tithe money but redemption money. As you can see, Moses had to give the money to Aaron and his sons as support.

The 273 first born paid 1,364 shekels to Moses.

So far a lot of money was paid as redemption money but not one red cent was paid as tithe money before or during the law in the Old Testament.

If money is a tithe, then John 2:14-16 would be a perfect place to see if monetary tithing took place during one of the Jewish Feasts at the Temple in Jerusalem. Jews came from around the territory and from afar to offer sacrifice. In John 2:14-16 “And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”

During this time when it was time to celebrate one of the three feasts, Israelites had to bring their animal and crop tithe to the temple. This stuff came from the tithe and freewill offerings.

As discovered, those Israelites that lived to far away from the Temple, had the option to covert their tithe to money and journey to the Temple with the money and repurchase their tithe at the temple. Deut. 14 explains this clearly, “22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. 23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of they flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD they GOD Always. 24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: 25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: 26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, 27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.”

The above scripture give some context to Jn 2:14-16. The Temple was a busy place during the Passover, the feasts of weeks and the feast of tabernacles (booths).

The people who came to the temple with money are those most likely who converted their tithe to money. According to Duet they had to rebuy their tithe.

Here come the money changes who set up shop in the temple to convert Roman money to acceptable temple money which was most likely Jewish shekel

If Jews brought Roman money to the Temple it had to be converted to Jewish money by the moneychangers who are banker types.

The money changes made a handsome profit on the exchange and even cheating by charging above the rate.

Roman money could not be accepted because of the image of a pagan Emperor God and was not fit for Jewish worship and was considered an offence . 5-8 from the Zondervan pictorial Dict. Page 555.

Once a year at the temple every Jewish male over 19 years old was to pay a temple tax as stipulated by Lev 1:3 and Deut 17:1 and Duet 16:1-17 explains the three feasts at the temple.

10. According to the Note in Archaeological NIV Study Bible on page 1707, it states that “The temple area (the outer court of the Gentiles was the place where various items necessary for sacrifices were sold: animal, wine, oil, salt and doves. In addition, money was changed form Roman currency to the required Tyrian shekels in accordance with the Law (Ex 30: 11-14). The practice becomes permanent once a year.”

11. The money changer in Greek is “Kollubistes”, he was a coin dealer, a banker

Based on their cheating in exchanges rate, Unger’s Bible Dictionary on page says, they could have made up to 40-45 thousand dollars. They were the ultimate hucksters.

This cheating force Jesus to over turn the Tables and expose the cheating of the Temple. Would Jesus go into churches today and overturn the money tithe system and accuse dogmatic tithe teachers as turning the church into a den of thieves or God people objects of merchandise?

14. The priests allowed these shenanigans to go on and most likely benefited from financial kickbacks from the practice, and perhaps go taken to the cleaners by the moneychangers also.

The Final Analysis

Money was not tithed in all 140 instances referenced on the Bible.

Money was used for almost everything else except a tithe.

Tithes were turned into money and spent by the tither for food, drink and sharing.

Money was used for taxes, bribes, land purchase, dowries, selling yourself into servitude, .ect, but never as a tithe.

Money Tithe (maser kesafim) is not commanded on the pages of the Bible.

Israel had an ancient money banking system.

Israel was not a 100 percent agricultural society.

Arguing Money Tithing from unsubstantiated scriptures is an argument from silence in scripture.

Tithing of money (Maaser Kesafim) according to some Jewish authorities, it is believed to be an oral command or a rabbinic injunction that is required but not according to the TORAH.

Tithing of money (Maaser Kesafim) according to some Jewish authorities say that it is neither required by the scriptures or by Rabbinic authority.

The only tithe the Bible commands is Maaser (A tenth part of that which grows from the ground that is eatable).

Tithing of money according to Jewish authorities is that the practice is a custom, a tradition that can be practiced but no scripture requires it.

Tithing of money according to Jewish authorities says if it is practiced, the tithe can only be given to the poor and nowhere else.

The tithe of money was a recent invention to support massive church building programs by early leaders of the Catholic Church around the forth century by commuting the tithe to money as a law both civic and religious.

The New Testament church of the book of Acts did not tithe but shared and took care of each other.

Because the Temple still stood in the Book of Acts, the official tithe (Maaser) would have still been going to the Jewish Temple and the Levites, not to the leaders of the people of the way.

Because Paul and the Apostles were not Levites and that Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin he and the others could not accept or ask for a tithe because it would have been considered that he was stealing the inheritance of the Levites which God said belonged to them only.

Paul Jewish background forbids him to profit from the TORAH but he had to work throughout his ministry and he accepted support from caring believers not tithes.This blog’s purpose is to spur believers to study how to give. The truth about money, tithing and everything else in the Bible is only hidden from those who don’t hunger or thirst for truth. So study to show yourself approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of truth. Money will always be a point of contention in the church and shall always be unless the truth comes out.Give According To Paul’s Instructions: As a man purposeth [deciding in your own mind] in his heart give cheerfully not grudgingly, not of necessity according to what one has, not according to what one does not have ( II Cor. 8:12 and 9:7).

There are many other instances of money references in the Bible, but none of them say money is required as a tithe.

Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?

The monetary tithe doctrine that has swept across generations is tale of deception and misinterpretation of scripture. For many generations pastors have used Old Testament law to condemn and convict people that they owe God and tithe from the paycheck for life. Law tithing of ten percent is a violation of Apostle Paul’s giving instructions which reads, “7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver “(ESV). 2 Cor. 9:7 Read an excerpt of Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?Examining what Paul taught on giving, there is no way you can tithe ten percent of your income and it not be under compulsion because you have no choice in the amount you give if ten percent is the standard. If someone mandate that you pay Yahweh ten percent it is still a violation of 2 Cor. 9:7 because mandating ten percent create reluctancy especially if you don’t have money to give. Cheerful giving can only happen when there is no preset amount and the giving act stems from the giver’s private decision on how much to give. If Paul wanted every believer to pay ten percent, he would have been clear in the text about Old Testament tithing. As it stands, Paul wanted every man according as he purposed in his heart on how much to give. Tithing money is not a New Testament command or suggestion. So let’s explore some reasons why you should stop tithing according to the scriptures, scholarship, exegesis and hermeneutics.

“It is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to keep the Bible’s command to not give under compulsion while believing that we owe a compulsory tax of 10% of our income to some charlatan to spend any way that he wants.

Tithing is a system of policed and enforced “giving”, which is not voluntary giving at all but an involuntarily taxation. This is not remotely close to cheerful givers commanded to not give “under compulsion” as the Bible clearly teaches in 2 Cor. 9:7.

“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Cor. 9:7 NASB

But how can one do as he has purposed in his own heart if he or she is at the same time forced to tithe? Well, some tithing advocates who pound Malachi 3 claim that the voluntary aspect of 2 Cor9:7 pertains only to additional offerings or choosing where to tithe. But if the “where” was optional, then why does Malachi 3 set the storehouse as the exact “where” or place where the tithe must be given? The where is not optional. The problem is Malachi 3 does not apply in any way to Christians but rather only to Israel. Many of these tithe teachers mix Old and New Testament Scriptures together in a random haphazard way in order to try and get the Bible to say whatever they want it to say. This erroneous approach to Bible interpretation is often quite evident in many of their other teachings as well.

Briefly, you should NOT tithe. But, this is one of the hardest false teachings and false “church” habits to break. The reason is because we have been so utterly pounded with endless fear tactics and other mental gymnastics in order to keep us tithing. We think we’ll lose our job or our car will break down or some other fear based lunacy that these guys teach. It’s all unbiblical nonsense. Who is the direct beneficiary of the tithe teaching? You guessed it. The tithe teacher!” (excerpt taken from an article tithed, Is Tithing Biblical?)

We Are Not Under the Tithing Law

The official tithe law in God prescribed in Leviticus 27:30-33 defines the limited content of the tithe as eatible items and to try to include money is a misinterpretation of scriptures. Here is how God defines the tithe in Leviticus:

30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD. 33 He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.’ ” 34 These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.

In verse 34, we can see that the tithe law was issued only to the children of Israel and not to any other group of people. This law was not transferred to the believers in the New Testament Church. And that’s why you never read where Paul or any of the disciples taught monetary tithing to any believers in the New Testament Ekklesia, which began in the book of Acts. Here is what Paul said in Romans 6:14, “14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” If believers are not under the Old Testament ordinances of the tithing law but are under grace then is stands to reason that tithing is under the law and not under grace. That means anyone who tries to create a monetary tithe system under grace has just committed scriptural treason. So to let the cat out of the bag, if you hear any pastor teach a doctrine called grace tithing, it is an error. The tithe is the law, the tithe is not grace. The tithe in Leviticus is based on obligation. Today under grace all giving is based under on generosity. So the distinction today is do you want to pay ten percent under obligation or give under obligation. But all of this is a moot point because God’s tithe is livestock and crops. God’s definition of the tithe is the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree. So how does one get money out of this verse?

The Local Church Does Not Replace the Temple

Many pastors argue that the building where members gather is God’s temple and as such the member are obligated to support that building and all if the obligations to keep it running by paying monetary tithes. There is a problem with that argument. Your church building is the the temple in Jerusalem. God flipped the script and the building is no longer significant anymore because the building that God recognizes is the believers body. The Bible now calls believers the temple of God not your church building. Paul made that clean in 1 Cor. 3:16 when he writes, “16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” The building your pastor preaches from is owned by the bank not by God. It is not God’s responsibility to pay the mortgage. It is up to the pastor to ask the congregation to tax themselves on a regular basis to pay the banker the note on the building. That’s why tithing has to be forced onto the members of the congregation because if he didn’t the 501c3 tax exempt church would go bankrupt. So one has to enforce monetary tithing to keep enough funds coming in to sustain the religious organizations need to keep feeding the banker what the agreed to pay in the contract. The monetary tithing system has nothing to do with God command but everything to do with what the banker told your pastor he had to pay. In the Old Testament the spirit filled the temple, now the spirit of God dwells in believers. The house of God as we like to call it is a misnomer because God’s house is not the structures men build. God dwells in the heavens. He says in Acts 7:48:

48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 49 ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest? 50 Has My hand not made all these things?’ NKJV

God does not dwell in temples made with hands so why are people bringing so-called tithes to the so-called storehouse where God does not dwell. He only dwells in the hearts of believers and the building is just a gathering place that is owned by the bank until the member give all of the money to close out the mortgage. God’s house is in heaven, so if tithes were required today, but we know they are not, how would you get to heaven to pay God his tithes and offerings? Would he send you a flaming chariot to pick you up so you could make a heavenly deposit? So lets make since out of this tithe debacle. God’s temple was destroyed in AD 70 and with it went all the tithing laws that governed the function of the Old Testament temple. The tithe God instituted ended at the cross.

Tithing is a Contradiction of Scripture

People do not like it when they find out tithing is not what they’ve been told. However, no matter the evidence that exists showing tithing is not money, it is still an uphill battle trying to deal with cognitive dissonance. So what you read below is evidence showing how scriptures are redefined in the theology and mindset of people who can’t accept that tithing is not required today.

Leviticus 27:30: And all the tithe OF THE LAND, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S; it is holy unto the LORD.

Changed to: And all the tithe OF THE FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR, whether of your savings in the bank, or of the Fruit of the Federal Mint, is the preacher’s; it is holy unto the preacher.

Verse 31: And if a man will redeem ought (any) of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereto.

Changed to: If some poor widow wants to borrow back some of her tithe money to eat, charge her 20% interest.

Verse 32: And concerning the tithe OF THE HERD, or OF THE FLOCK, even whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

Changed to: And concerning the tithe OF YOUR WORK WAGES, or OF YOUR POCKETBOOK, even whatsoever passeth out of an ATM machine, the FIRST part of it shall be holy unto the preacher.

Verse 33: He (the tithe payer) shall not search (inspect) whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

Changed to: The tithe payer shall inspect his paycheck to make sure he gives the BEST (biggest) part of it. If he changes his mind and decides to substitute a prettier hundred dollar bill, he should just empty his wallet and fast until the next payday rolls around.

Verse 34: These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mt.Sinai.

Changed to: These are the genetically modified commandments, which the PREACHER commanded the church in Atlanta, Ga.

Although these rewritten scriptures to justify tithing are not in the book, people have been psychologically and theologically bent to interpret the verses in a way that supports monetary tithing. So what happens in a persons mind is that they rewrite Bible verses on a a self-conscience level and when they hear people read the actual verses, the self-conscience overrides the authority of scripture because of years of indoctrination.

Here are more examples of how the mind can re-interpret Bible verses:

Deuteronomy 14:22: Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

Change to: Thou shalt truly tithe on all the wages you earn, that the boss pays you week by week.

Verse 23: And THOU SHALT EAT before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place His name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds, and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

Change to: And you shall pay, before the preacher, in the place where you’re sitting in the pew, the tithe or your cash, of your wallet, and of your oil stock dividends, and the first of your hard-earned paycheck, that you might learn to be afraid of the preacher always.* * * Forget that bit about the wine, everybody knows they really drank Welch’s Grape Juice back then. And don’t take scripture so literally that you actually EAT the Lord’s tithe like they did back then! The preacher will do that FOR you when he takes his buddies out to a lobster restaurant!

Verse 24: And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

Change to: If you live too far from the hole-in-the-wall and are unable to haul a hundred-dollar bill to the place where the preacher is building a name for himself, when you’re still living in poverty:

Verse 25: Then thou shalt turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place where the LORD thy God shall choose:

Change to: No need to turn it into money, it’s always BEEN money! Bring that money in to build a project which the preacher shall choose. (MONEY is mentioned in this tithing verse! So the preacher must be right…or IS he?)

The scripture that is used the most money to get money out of people is Malachi 3:8-10. These verse really scare the living hell out of believers or appeal to their desire to have more in life. Collecting tithes from people in the congregation works if you use the psychology of getting blessed abundantly by appealing to materialism, and if that doesn’t work, then presenting the idea that God will curse you if you don’t tithe will get people to cough up the dough. This next set of rewritten scriptures should get the message across to you.

Verse 8: Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Change to: Will a man rob God’s supposed representative? Yet ye have robbed him of what he wants most: money. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed the preacher? In monetary tithes and big enough offerings.

Verse 9: Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Change to: That curse carries over into the New Covenant Gentile church, even though God was addressing the Nation of Israel (sons of Jacob) ONLY (see verse 6). Guess that’s a mistranslation.

Verse 10: Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Change to: Bring ye ten per cent of all the paychecks, that there may be money in my (the preacher’s) church treasury, and test GOD to see if he will open up an unexpected source of income and shower you with money, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

I started out this blog post by citing 2 Cor. 9:7 and explained what Paul meant in the verse. But even this verse is not protected from mis-interpreters who support unscriptural monetary tithing.

2 Cor.9:7: Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Change to: Every man (and woman) according as he feels intimidated by the sermon, so let him pay tithes, because he has to; for the preacher loves his cash cows.

Verse 12: For if there first be a willing mind [go give], it is accepted according to that a man hath, not according to that he hath not.

Change to: Your hesitation is of the devil! Hurry up and give before satan argues you out of it! Make a $2,000 vow of faith out of what you don’t think you have yet, because even though you haven’t gotten that money yet, you ALREADY have it by faith and it will soon materialize into the visible realm, so go ahead and pledge it by faith and God will accept it. All information for this section is taken from Ban Preacher Greed! Tithing Contradicts Scripture.

No Tithing Mentioned in the Book of Acts at the Inception of the New Covenant of Grace

In the book Acts Paul was was accused of starting a riot. In court he spoke to Felix, and this is what is said, 17 “Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation,… (NJKV) He brought alms not tithes.

Acts 2:44-45 and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need. -Why were there no tithes upon the sale of possessions and goods here?

Acts 4: 34 For neither was there among them any that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,-there is nothing on tithing from the sale prices here either, is there?

Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 ) and kept back part of the price, his wife also privy to it, and brought ==> a certain part <==
and laid it at the apostles` feet.…Nothing is said about them withholding tithes. But maybe he only gave “a certain part”, such as a 10% tithe?We do not know, but if he was under a 10% “standard”as today, they may tithed 10% which could be the “certain PART” they gave. But many pastors teach tithing 10% on the increase of things sold in today’s church world.

Acts 6:1
Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.… In the daily “ministration”, nothing about tithes there either but under the law food tithes were given for widows from the priests.

Acts 8:18
Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles` hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money… no tithe was mentioned.. -but today many might not pass up the offer of Simon!

Acts 8:20 But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.… no blessing from tithing silver money is mentioned.
Simon was rebuked for thinking he could buy the blessing with money. Nor did Peter correct him saying “just your tithes are fine”.

Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms-deeds which she did.
... Dorcas was known for faithful “alms” giving, not tithes.
“Alms” are compassionate giving.

Acts 10:2
a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always... Devout Cornelius did not tithe. He “gave much alms” to “the people”, not religious leaders.Acts 11:29
And the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send ===> relief to the brethren that dwelt in Judea:.. they sent them“relief”, not “sent tithes”..

Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.… elders were appointed over churches. There were no tithes ordered to support them with.

Acts 15. 5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying,
It is needful to circumcise them, ===> and to charge them to keep the law of Moses. <===.. The church, elders, apostles and Holy Ghost release Christians from the law. They did not “decree” tithing.
People had been teaching the law of Moses to Christians. (15:4)Tithing was “of the matters of the law” -Jesus said in Mat. 23:23

Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us,
to lay upon you ===> no greater burden <===than these necessary things:
29 that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled,
and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you.… The Holy Spirit and the apostles did not include tithing as a “necessary thing”.

Acts 16:4 And as they went on their way through the cities, they delivered them the decreesto keep which had been ordained of the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem.… Apostolicdecrees were delivered confirming the churches, but no tithing decreed and none of the apostolic epistles to the churches decree tithing

Acts 16: 15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord… Lydia, a sellor of purple was judged faithful. She was not told to tithe or commended for paying them.

Acts 18: 3 and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked, for by their trade they were tentmakers. Paul and Aquila do not pay tithes on earnings from their trade. Paul and Aquila were tent makers who never paid money tithes under the OT law.

Acts 19:1 while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul … came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples
10 And this continued for the space of two years…Paul ministered in Ephesus three years. But he made no mention of tithing from income in chapter 19, nor did he receive tithes.

Acts 20: 7 And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them….. and prolonged his speech until midnight.… Paul and Luke were in Troas 7 days but on the first day of the week no tithes were gathered nor an offering mentioned.

Acts 20:17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church.… where he does not tell them to tithe or receive them from others.

Acts 20:27 For I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God.…the “whole counsel of God” he declared does not mention tithes from income. He also wrote the Ephesian epistle and never ordained tithing in that church letter.

Acts 20:28 Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord
… “elders” are called “bishops” and instructed to “feed the flock of God”, not feed themselves from them.

Acts 20: 31 Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one…… Paul remembers his ministry for three years. he never thanked them for tithes or mentioned any of his own. Three years and nothing about tithing? -Nor did he write of tithing in the Ephesian epistle.

Acts 20: 33 I coveted no man`s silver, or gold, or apparel.… Paul did not covet their money, a salary, or benefits. He didnot request offerings and he did not instruct tithes.

Acts 20: 34 Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.… Paul used “these hands”, his own hands, to minister to his own needs and others through working.

Acts 20: 35 I gave you an example, that laboring like me, ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.…Paul told the bishops to work as Paul did, and help weak. He did not tell them to live from tithes. -He did not give them an example to tithe. He did not tell them to tell the church to tithe. (Excerpt information taken from article titled, Tithing in the Book of Acts from preparinghisway Blog).

Tithing is a complex subject to explain. It took me many years to come do a final conclusion about what it means with a lot of research. But one thing is certain now. I understand that the word tithe means a tenth part, based on the Hebrew work Ma’aser. That single word always refers to a tenth part of livestock and crops, which God say is the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree and herd or flocks. Now that is clear straight from the mouth of Yahweh. And since God did not include the Hebrew for money, which is Kesafim in Leviticus Chapter 27, monetary tithing is not biblical.

Thanks Charles for Joining the Tithing Conversation

Take Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway on a email book blog tour. Get a copy of the Blog Tour below and help me celebrate the one year anniversary of Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway by sending my book on an email Book Blog Tour with your email network of friends or however your choose. Go to the link

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Every since I published my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing Anyway some people question that I wrote the book to so discord among believers and to create financial havoc in churches. I can say for sure that is not the intention at all. In fact, it was my desire for truth that drove me to study and seek information about tithing money to the institutional church. That fact that monetary tithing has been around for centuries, it is clear from my studies that the practice has never been accepted 100 percent by academic scholars, theologains and bibical experts. There has never been a consensus about the way tithing is taught accept for those who have a monetary vested interest in maintaining the currect system that is contextually inaccuate with the scripture both hermanutically and exegetically.

In this post, I felt that it was necessary to share what many authors wrote about tithing by providing excerpts from their books that address what they have discovered about tithing. If you read this entire post, you will see that my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’ Really Robbing God Anyway is not as far fetched as some suppose. The reality is, pastors don’t want to deal with the truth on this subject because they have sunk their entire financial future into a doctrine to ensure a certain lifestyle remains intact. And whatever means to ensure that system never gets disrupted, methods are employed to dispense of anyone who threatens the modern monetary tithe system. Anyone who tries to follow the money will be dealt with Al Capone style.

After reading the various authors, you must make the decision about whether or not tithing money or food is described in the Bible. Now some may say I’m biased because I posted only authors who are against tithing. That may be true, but there are many books, sermons, and pastors who have supported tithing for years and so it is clear in church academia what they believe, but many who disagree with tithing have been gagged by excommunication and have been ridiculed as quacks or demons. The way to misdirect the religious masses is to create a counter-arugment that discredits the person who disagrees with the popular doctrine. Whe I finally came forward with my decision to resign from tithing, it was not received by my church leadership. Then I was immediately considered a financial threat to the church.

Daniel White is Reading Kleptomaniac

The first author, Michael Burman makes it clear what tithing is in Iron Sharpens Iron on page 18-19.

What Did Israel Tithe On?

Note carefully the following passage of Scripture: “And all the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S. It is holy to the LORD” (Leviticus 27:30).

A tithe of the land refers to a tenth of the agricultural produce reaped by ancient Israel as a blessing for their obedience to GOD. The Bible never mentions tithing on anything other than the produce of the land.

The following scriptures clearly support this biblical fact:

“Moreover He commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the fruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the LORD their GOD they laid up in heaps” (2 Chronicles 31:4–6).

“And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of the trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our [GOD], to the priests who minister in the house of our [GOD]; to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our [GOD]; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities” (Nehemiah 10:35–37).

The second author Greame Carle’ makes it clear the misinterpretation tithing in Eating Sacred Cows on page 30 and 33.

Those who want christians to tithe becasue Jesus encouraged the Pharisees to do so, do they also want Christans to offer animal sacrifices because Jesus commanded the leper to do so? If not, why not? This offering of lambs and birds by cleansed lepers is certainly not now necessary, but equally certainly was until Jesus died on the cross, He said, “Whever…annuls one of the least of these commandmants (of the Law) , and so teaches other, shall be called least in the Kingdom…” because and the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, Until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18-19) So these passages , although they are recorded in what we call the New Testament, are not yet teaching the New Covenant but rather are more carefully explaining the demands of the Old Coveant. I have heard Dr. Derek Prince state that he is afaid not to tithe because he didn’t want to receive the curse. He may have since changed his position on this without my hearing about it, but his his word then illustrated this well; a wonderful Christian teacher thinking that non-tithing will bring a curse. Christians are not blessed or cursed on the bases of tithing or not? On the contrary, placing ourselves under the law, even the law of tithing, will bring us under a curse. Gal 3:20.

The reality is the tithe in Matthew is for those boud to the demands of the ordinances of the Law and so believers are not bound to the tithe law under grace.

The third author Michael Morrison makes it clear that tithing is not required in Sabbath, Circumcision and Tithing on page 162.

The only other New Testament mention of tithing is in Hebrews. The fact that Abraham was blessed by and paid tithes to Melchizedek illustrates the superiority of Melchizedek and Jesus Christ over the Levitical priesthood (Hebrews 7:1-10). The passage then goes on to note that “when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law” (verse 12). There was a change of the priesthood from the Levites to Jesus Christ, and this implies a change in the law that assigned the Levites to be priests. How much has been changed? Hebrews says that the old covenant is obsolete. The package of laws that commanded tithes to be given to the Levites is obsolete.

The forth author Russell Earl Kelly, Ph.D. makes it clear the Biblical difinition of tithing in Should The Church Teach Tithing on pages 11-12.

Anchor Bible Dictionary, ‘tithe,’ C. Early Judaism and Christianity, says, “Whereas in the OT tithes apply to specific agricultural products, rabbinic and patristic exegesis tends to include all agricultural products, and eventually [much later] all forms of income as subject to the tithe.”

Alfred Edersheim: “And it is remarkable, that the Law seems to regard Israel as intended to be only an agricultural people—no contribution being provided for from trade or merchandise.”8
Fausset’s Bible Dictionary: “The tithe of all produce as also of flocks and cattle belonged to Jehovah.”

Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary: “The law of Moses prescribed tithing in some detail. Leviticus 27:30-32 stated that the tithe of the land would include the seed of the land and the fruit of the tree. In addition the Hebrew people were required to set apart every tenth animal of their herds and flocks to the Lord…. Nowhere does the New Covenant expressly command Christians to tithe …”

The New Catholic Encyclopedia: “In the Deuteronomic Code the tithe is limited to grain, wine, and oil (Deut. 12:6, 11, 17; 14:22). These texts more or less equate the tithe with other ritual offerings and sacrifices.”

The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary: “The tenth of all produce, flocks, and cattle was declared to be sacred to Jehovah by way, so to speak, of rent to Him who was, strictly speaking, the Owner of the land, and in return for the produce of the ground…. Although the law did not specify the various fruits of the field and of the trees that were to be tithed, the Mishnah (Maaseroth 1.1) includes ‘everything eatable, everything that was stored up or that grew out of the earth….’”

The fifth author R.S Rood makes it clear what God Required as a tithe in Time-Honored Error on pages 27-28.

What concerns us here is whether or not tithing ordinances established for the theocratic government of Israel are applicable to Christians today.

Having been led out of captivity by God under the leadership of Moses, the ever-rebellious Israelites were forced to endure forty years of wilderness wanderings before being allowed to begin to take possession of the land promised to their forefathers. It was during this period that the Mosaic Law was established, including the tithing ordinances that would apply upon possession of the land. It is important to note that while ordinances concerning the many types of sacrifices and offerings applied during the years in the wilderness, tithing was not applicable until the tribes had come into their inheritance.

Now is the time to discover what tithing meant to the nation of Israel, and why what is erroneously called tithing today does not resemble it in any manner, shape or form. Tithes were strictly in the form of produce from the field and animals from the flocks and herds. They were not in the form of currency, although tithes of produce could be redeemed for money by adding a fifth of the value to them (Lev. 27:30-34). Some modern day tithing advocates argue that money was not available during these times, but nothing can be further from the truth. Metal, not necessarily or always in the form of coin, was readily available throughout the region, and used on a regular basis for many transactions as described in historical texts and from the Bible itself, including offerings, redemption money and various taxes.

Only producers of agricultural products were required to tithe, naturally, since the tithes were gathered from these resources. A large landowner would tithe, but his hired servants did not. The poor were exempt from tithing. Craftsmen and those of other occupations did not tithe, since they did not produce agricultural products. This fact alone is a heavy blow to proponents of tithing today, since it makes it clear that Jesus and his father Joseph, being carpenters, did not tithe.

The sixth author Leonard C. Bupanda makes it clear that grace is not associated with tithing in The Tithe Deliemma Triumphs of Love in ibooks on pages 63-64.

“As a matter of fact, the Bible has clearly revealed that the Father, just like the Son, has not been associated with the tithe. Even where other commandments are referred to or revisited in Matthew Chapter Five, the tithe is left out. My critical conclusion is that the tithe is not linked to the work of faith for the simple reason that it belonged to the era of Levitical ordinances, of which it was part. Therefore, it does not fit in the environment of absolute love and grace of God our Father.”

The seventh author Edgar J. Goodspeed (1871- 1962) makes it clear that Paul worked for living and never depended on tithes from congreations in Paul on ibooks, pages 88-89.

After this very Jewish doctrinal correction of the Thessalonian view, Paul proceeds to deal with the practical side of the situation. The church is no place for idlers. His own well-known practice of supporting himself by working at his trade shows what he believes on that subject. The idlers are to return to work, and cease to be dependent on their brethren. He has already told the Thessalonians that a man who will not work must have nothing to eat. But now he goes farther. Anyone who still persists in idleness and dependence on others is to be dropped from the society of Christian people, until he learns to bear his part in the common work of life. Read II Thess. 3:6-15. Excerpt From: Goodspeed, Edgar J. (Edgar Johnson), 1871-1962. “Paul.” iBooks.

In this excerpt is clear Pual never endorsed tithing but preferred to work and not depend on believers for charity or to make the congregation his financial supplier.

The eighth author unknown makes it clear that tithing was eatible and not food in New Testament Truth On Old Testament Tithing on pages 17-18.

These passages of scripture teach the following truths concerning the tithe:

A general tithe was to be paid on all Israel’s agricultural and livestock production to the Levites by landowners. Non-agricultural products weren‘t tithed. (Leviticus 27:30-32; Numbers 18:21; Deuteronomy 26: 1-10; Nehemiah 10:37; Hebrews 7:4-5)

Each year 10%(tithe) of all Israel’s agricultural and livestock production was to be taken to the location chosen by the Lord for his sanctuary. They would eat from it before the Lord at the national festival. (Deuteronomy 12:5-7, 14:22-23)

If the location of the sanctuary was too far for a person to travel to, or they were unable to transport the tithe, they could exchange their tithe for money. With the money gained from this exchange, at the sanctuary they could buy whatever their soul desired to eat before the Lord at the national festival. (Deuteronomy 14:24-26)

The Levites were to take the tithe from the Israelites. They received what was left from the tithe after the Israelites ate their portion at the national festival. (Numbers 18:21-32)

The Levites were to take a “tithe of the tithe” (10%ofthe10%) received from the Israelites and give it to the priest. The priest was to offer itas a heave offering to the Lord. (Numbers 18:8, 26-32; Nehemiah 10:37-39)

Every third year was the year of tithing.The tithe was reserved at home this ear instead of being taken to the temple. The tithe from the produce of that year was to be gathered and stored in the cities for distribution to the Levites and the needy in the city: strangers, orphans and widows. (Deuteronomy 14:28-29, 26:12; Nehemiah 13:10-13)

The ninth author Thabani Maphosa makes it clear that tithing ended in The Malachi Bomb.

The reason why Christians do not pay temple tax is because the system which the temple tax served, namely the system of sacrifices in the temple, was brought to an end at the death of Jesus. It is for the same reason that Christians no longer need to tithe. Tithes were necessary for the earthly system of sacrifices to function. The levitical system of sacrifices, along with the earthly temple, temple taxes and tithes came to an abrupt end at the cross (Matt 27: 51; Heb 10: 19, 20). Money for the temple was given as freewill offerings and taken from a self-imposed annual fee of a third of a shekel. Money for the temple was not taken from tithes because tithes were food for the Levites. “Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;” Neh 10: 32 Maphosa, Thabani. Defusing The Malachi Bomb: The Old Covenant Tithe Versus New Covenant Giving (Kindle Locations 2753-2756). Kindle Edition. Maphosa, Thabani. Defusing The Malachi Bomb: The Old Covenant Tithe Versus New Covenant Giving (Kindle Locations 745-749). Kindle Edition.

The tenth author Bryon Shorter makes it clear what New Testmant giving is in Unmasking Traditional Untruths About Tithing. Is it a Mandate or Model?

Now verse seven is revealing, for Paul said, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart.” He did not say, “Let each one give a tithe as God has commanded.” No, he said, “let each one give as he purposes in his heart.” The words “he purposes” is translated from the Greek word “proaireo” which means, “to choose before, or to resolve before, that is, in one’s heart.” The text also says, “Not grudgingly,” literally, “not of grief.” The Greek word is “Lupe” which means, “a state of unhappiness marked by regret as a result of what has been done.” Thus, we should not give and regret and grieve about it afterwards. Next Paul says “nor of necessity.” This word is amazingly supportive of “Grace Giving,” translated from the Greek word “anagke” which means “an obligation of a compelling nature, complete obligation, or necessary obligation.” Therefore, Christian giving should not stem from some compelling obligation [to tithe], but from a cheerful heart. Hence, the text says “for God loves a cheerful giver” [not a cheeful tither]. This word “cheerful” is derived from the Greek word “hilaros” meaning “a happy, glad, or cheerful state of mind.”79 Happy Giving!

The eleventh author The Anonymous Preacher makes it clear the difference between tithing and money in No, You DON’T Have To Tithe: Undeniable Biblical Proof That You Do NOT Have To Give 10% of Your Money To Your Church

I’m going to make a statement that, although it may surprise you, is absolutely true: Everyone in the Bible from at least Abraham onward had money, but no one in the Bible tithed on their money. How can we be required to do something that no one in the Bible did? I could end this book right here…but I won’t, since it will be helpful for you to learn more detail on this subject. Here is another statement that may surprise you: Nowhere in the Bible does God command anyone to give Him 10 percent of their money. You will not find a single place in the Bible where God commanded anyone (much less all His people) to give Him 10 percent of their finances. Friends, the modern teaching on the “tithe” (that says every Christian must give 10 percent of their money to the church) is a lie. No one in the Bible did what modern tithe preachers tell people they are required to do.

Now let’s apply that to the most popularly preached “tithing” verse, Malachi 3:10. In this verse, God was rebuking the Israelites for neglecting to do something He had told them to do in the Old Testament Law of Moses. What command of God in the Law of Moses had the Israelites neglected? They had neglected to “bring the tithe”. The key here is to understand what “bring the tithe” means according to the Bible. Who was supposed to “bring the tithe”? Was it every Israelite? (Sneak preview: The answer is no.) And for those who were supposed to bring the tithe, what were they supposed to bring? Was it money? (Sneak preview: The answer is no. And yes, the Bible makes it clear the Israelites did have money – but God didn’t ask for it.)

Again, nowhere in the entire Bible will you find God asking anyone to bring 10 percent of their money to Him or to the church. With Malachi 3:10, many preachers are just making a common mistake that many people make when interpreting the Bible, which is reading one verse and taking it completely out of context, making it mean whatever you want it to mean without defining the terms Biblically. So what does the word “tithe” mean in Malachi 3:10 – according to the Bible? The short answer is this: As part of the Law of Moses system in the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelite farmers and ranchers to bring the tenth portion of their crops and livestock to where the Levites lived. So the word “tithe” does mean “10 percent”, but it does not mean “10 percent of every paycheck every modern Christian receives”. It means “the 10th portion of every ancient Israelite farmer or rancher’s crops and livestock”. By the way, under the Law of Moses system, if you only had nine sheep, you didn’t tithe. The tithe was the tenth portion of the livestock, not the first. It’s amazing how many misconceptions have come into this “tithing” doctrine that has been invented by men. The key thing to understand here is that the tithe had nothing to do with money. God’s people back then had money, but God didn’t ask for it.

We know they had money back then because in Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17 God put a little provision in His “crops/livestock tithe instructions” that mentioned money. The provision was this: If a farmer or rancher lived very far away from where the Levites were, instead of dragging the 10th part of his crops or livestock all that distance, he was allowed to sell his crops or livestock for money, and then take the money to where the Levites were. Other verses in the Bible talk about the money the Israelites had, such as Deuteronomy 23:19 where God commanded them not to charge a fellow Israelite interest on money: “You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest.” So because of these Bible passages, we know they had money. But they didn’t tithe money. These passages also tell us something very important: the Israelites did not consider food/crops/livestock to be their version of money. I know this is a simple concept, but the reason I mention it is that tithing preachers will often act as if when the Israelites tithed their crops and livestock, they were tithing their version of money. This is simply not true. Food was not their version of money. Crops and livestock were not their version of money. They had money, just like you and I have money. But they didn’t tithe it.

No, You DON’T Have To Tithe: Undeniable Biblical Proof That You Do NOT Have To Give 10% of Your Money To Your Church (Kindle Locations 126-137, 114-126, 108-114, 91-101).

The twelveth author E.B Reynolds gives an undisputed Jewish argument that tithing is not money in Tithing and Christianity.

There are many different opinions about the tithe. Some churches expect their members to pay one tithe, while others teach two and three tithes. Some want the tithe before taxes others after taxes. How many and when tithes are to be paid is not really the objective here. Rather it is to see if the tithe is or has ever been mandatory to the Christians. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:1-2 that the Jews have advantage over us because unto them were committed the oracles of God. That being the case the writings of the one Jewish sage who has been called by many “the second Moses” has been consulted. Moses Ben Maimon is considered by many to be the greatest Jewish thinker, Talmudist and codifier of the Law (Mishneh Torah) during the Middle Ages. In 1180 Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides and also as Rambam, finished the Mishneh Torah which took him about 10 years to write. Maimonides was born in Cordova, Spain in the year 1135. After the death of his father and of his brother David, he dedicated himself to the practice of medicine to support himself and the family of his brother as he believed that it was incorrect to make a living teaching Torah. The Mishneh Torah is divided into different chapters. Under the title “Matnot Aniyiim”13 (Law about giving to the poor) there are 10 chapters and each one has several rules called “halacha”. Chapter six, for example, has 17 rules or divisions. Halacha one explains that the product from the land that is given to the poor is called the tithe of the poor. In Halacha two Maimonides explains that after the offering of the first fruits is given to the priests, which consist of the first of the grain, wine and oil (Deuteronomy 18:4), the owner of the field separates one tenth of the remainder. This constitutes the first tithe and is given to the Levites. From the remainder (Halacha three) he separates another tenth which is called the second tithe. This belongs to the owners of the fields and is to be eaten in Jerusalem. This second tithe (Halacha four) is separated in the first, second, fourth and fifth years, but in the third and sixth year (after the first tithe has been separated) it was given to the Levite, the widow and the orphan. This is the tithe that was kept within the cities, as was mentioned before and was known as the tithe of the poor or the tithe of the third year (Deuteronomy 14:27-29). The Levite in turn had to separate a tenth of the tithe he received and give it to the Priests. Under the title Terumot (offerings) chapter one, Halacha one, we read that the obligation to set apart the terumot and the tithes applies only in Eretz Israel, (the Land of Israel). Halacha 11 is very reveling. In it we read that the produce grown in Eretz Israel, belonging to a Gentile who was involved in all the work, was exempt. The reasoning behind this is found in Deuteronomy 18:4 which clearly states your grain meaning, of course, the grain of a Jew, not of a Gentile. If a Jew is working for a Gentile in Syria, for example, he does not have to tithe because he does not own the land (Halacha 17).

The thirteenth author John Lilly gives analysis of why tithing in not money in Why You Don’t Have To Tithe: Undeniable Biblical Proof That Tithing Is Not An “Eternal Principle” and You Are Not Required To Do It.

The Pharisees Tithed Spices, Not Money

The only time Jesus referred to tithing was when He was rebuking the Pharisees because they tithed on their little garden spices but didn’t really help anybody out in life. Jesus said in Matthew 23:23, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” Notice, what were they tithing on? Agricultural products. “Mint and dill and cumin”. Not money. We know the Pharisees had money, because the Bible says they were lovers of money! But yet they didn’t tithe on their money! They tithed on their garden spices! Why? Because the tithe commands of the Law of Moses had nothing to do with money. Why were the Pharisees tithing their spices? Because tithing of agricultural products by those who grew them was a “provision of the law” – it was commanded in the Law of Moses. See, the Pharisees tried to appear religious outwardly by keeping details of the Law of Moses, and in this case they were being nitpicky about it to the point where they brought a tithe of the spices they grew in their backyard in order to obey God’s tithing law for farmers and ranchers in the Law of Moses. Jesus told them, “This you should do” (because they were supposed to be spiritual leaders and examples to the people in obeying the Law of Moses), but then rebuked them for neglecting the weightier matters of the law (like actually loving and helping people). Now, I’ve heard preachers say that Jesus’ statement, “This you should do” (in reference to the Pharisees tithing from their little spice gardens), proves that Jesus wants us all to give 10 percent of our every paycheck in the offering plate. The problem is, the Pharisees didn’t give 10 percent of their money in the offering plate. They brought 10 percent of their spices. Their money was sitting in their house under the bed.

Modern preachers use those phrases figuratively, trying to turn God’s reference to literal food in the Law of Moses into “spiritual food”, etc. That seems a natural thing to do – especially to us today who have repeatedly heard erroneous preaching on the subject. But the problem is, God did not speak through the prophet Malachi figuratively. There is absolutely no indication anywhere in Scripture that when God used the words “tithe”, “food”, and “storehouse” in Malachi 3:10, that He suddenly and magically changed the definition of these words from literal food to “figurative or spiritual food”. There is no evidence in Scripture that God suddenly changed the meaning of the words “tithe”, “food”, and “storehouse” in Malachi 3:10 from a literal meaning to a figurative meaning. In fact, in verse 7 God directly referred to His specific “ordinances” (commands) in the Law of Moses, which all had to do with tithing literal agricultural products, literal food and literal storehouses for the food. So the immediate context of Malachi 3:10 forces to conclude that when God used the words “tithe”, “food”, and “storehouse” in Malachi 3:10 in talking to the Israelites, He meant the exact same thing He had meant every other time He used it in the Bible when talking to them – “farmers and ranchers (not every Israelite) living under the Mosaic law, tithing the 10th part of their agricultural products according to certain specific instructions that sometimes did not include giving it to the Levites.

Lilley, John. Why You Don’t Have To Tithe: Undeniable Biblical Proof That Tithing Is Not An “Eternal Principle” and You Are Not Required To Do It (Kindle Locations 239-250 and 257-274). Panta Press. Kindle Edition.

The fourteenth author John Kelly seattles the argument that tithing was not paid on income but on eatible items in The Other Law of Moses.

The Levites did not pay a tithe. As I opined earlier in the chapter, the Levites had town occupations, supplying the agricultural economy with valuable finished goods and services. They were paid for these goods and services. Yet there is never a mention, or even an inference that a tenth of these things or of their remuneration were to be given over to God. The Scripture states that the Levites’ tithe exemption derived from the fact that they received no inheritance in land, not because they were without income (Num. 18:20-32). Income was not inherited from God; income came from the work done by the individual. That work belonged to the individual. The land belonged to God and the tithe came from the land. If a non-Levite family was engaged in an additional commercial endeavor, say a grandmother hired out as a seamstress, or children picked the weeds out of a neighbor’s fields for a small wage, a tithe was not demanded in Scripture from these additional family earnings. If Papa is a superior wood carver and contracts with others to make carvings for pay, none of the pay is tithed. The tithe was strictly a contract between the landowner, God, and the lessee, the possessor family, for the use of the land.

Kelly, John. The Other Law of Moses (Kindle Locations 615-625). John L. Kelly. Kindle Edition.

The fithteenth author Mash Udenula surmises what tithes or first fruits could never be money in The Modern Teachings On Tithes,Offerings and First Fruits.

I have not exhaustively quoted every word Moses uttered concerning tithes, first fruits and offerings, but having had read exhaustively, this is what I conclude from the scriptures: 1. There were various types of offerings (The grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, trespass offering, offering with restitution), but all offerings were presented to God by burning a portion as a sweet smelling aroma to God. In this sense, the offerings were indeed, literally, offered to God. What I am implying here is that, the modern offering and tithing are questionable as to whether the giver gives to God, to man or an institution. 2. Though money was in existence during the introduction of the Mosaic laws relating to offerings, tithes and first fruits, God specifically identified what was to be offered. It was animals and farm produce. Tithe was not in the form of money. 3. Tithe related to a tenth of all farm produce and animals, and it did not matter the state of the tenth-whether bad or good. It just had to be the tenth as per God’s instructions. 4. All the males that were born first of men and animals were dedicated to God. The cows, sheep and goats were actually sacrificed to God (a portion was burnt before God), while man’s first born male was to be redeemed and replaced with an animal. Of course this is one principle you can never apply today owing to the fact that money has no gender! 5. The first fruits only related to a very insignificant portion of the first harvest from the ground. This portion could not even be 1% of your usual entire harvest. Try to ascertain what percentage of a one hectors’ crop production a basket full harvest will be, and you will agree with me! A sheaf of wheat cannot even produce a loaf of bread, by the way! 6. I could have gotten it wrong, but the times I have heard first fruits being taught, I get the impression that first fruits and first born, are in principle, the same thing. The scriptures however, make a clear distinction of what these two represented. They are totally two different things with two different underlining principles. 7. By nature of what tithes and first fruits were, It would be practically impossible for someone who did not own a farm or animals to give tithes and first fruits. Meaning an individual who worked for someone and earned wages (whether in money terms or in kind) but did not own his own production could not tithe or offer first fruits.

Udenula, Mash. The Modern Teachings On Tithes,Offerings and First Fruits (Kindle Locations 1065-1105). Kindle Edition.

The sixteenth author Cynthia McClaskey seattles the argument that tithes were food items brought to the temple not money in The Truth About Tithing.

The Israelites did not just take their tithes and offerings to the temple and “drop them off”. THEY and their HOUSEHOLDS partook in all that they brought, as well as the portion of their offerings “reserved from the fire” for the Levites, as God commanded. The only offerings they did not partake in were the redemption monies and things devoted. These belonged to the priest performing the ritual. The tithe, in reality, was a yearly celebration at the Temple. Jews traveled from all over the known world to partake in this huge celebration. As you will see from the following verses of scripture, those who had to travel great distances were allowed to sell their crops for money and then buy whatever they wanted when they arrived in the city where the celebration was being held. Also notice that alcohol was allowed to be consumed before the Lord during this celebration. If drinking alcohol is a sin, as some churches teach, then why does GOD allow consumption of wine and strong alcohol in the Temple during this celebration? Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the TITHE of thy CORN, or of the WINE, or of thy OIL, or the firstlings of thy HERDS or of thy FLOCK, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thy hand: But thou MUST eat them (tithes and offerings) before the LORD thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, THOU, and THY SON, and THY DAUGHTER, and THY MANSERVANT, and THY MAIDSERVANT, and the LEVITE that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto (Deuteronomy 12:17-18). Thou shalt truly TITHE all the increase of thy SEED, that the FIELD bringeth forth year by year. And THOU (the children of Israel) shalt EAT before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the TITHE of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks: that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou are not able to carry it (again, we are talking about crops, wine, oil, herds and flocks); or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: THEN shalt thou turn it into money (sell it), and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God SHALL CHOOSE: And thou shalt bestow that money for WHATSOEVER THY SOUL LUSTETH AFTER, for OXEN, or for SHEEP, or for WINE, or for STRONG DRINK (The Hebrew word here means intensely alcoholic liquor), or for WHATSOEVER THY SOUL DESIRETH: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, THOU and THINE HOUSEHOLD. (Deuteronomy 12: 22-26). There are several very important things that need to be pointed out from these passages: 1. God had to choose the place for the tithe celebration. 2. The whole family, along with servants, partook in the tithes. 3. The Levites partook in the tithes. 4. Alcohol was consumed in the Temple during this celebration. 5. This was an ANNUAL celebration. Basically, everyone went to the Temple to celebrate the goodness of God in their lives. THIS is what the tithe celebration was all about. There was absolutely no way the foreign Jews could travel every week to the Temple to pay tithes; this would create financial hardship for the entire family! Nowhere in scripture does it state that tithes are money. Nowhere in scripture does God command the Jews to leave their tithes at the Temple. Nowhere in scripture does God command that the Levites receive 100% of the tithes taken to the Temple. Nowhere in scripture does God tell us that he has chosen to place his name in thousands of church institutions for a tithe celebration each and every week! The families of those who tithed all partook of the tithes and offerings during this celebration.

The seventeenth author M. D. Ewing presents a clear arguemnt how tithing can me misintermpreted as money instead of food items, in The Emancipation of Tithing: Discovering Your Freedom From Financial Slavery

The most important lesson for properly interpreting the Bible and the Scriptures relating to each passage is based on how well we understand the surrounding context of the story being portrayed. Do we understand all the facts in each passage? Do we understand the context before and after each passage? Have we biblically defined the meanings of all the words surrounding each passage? How well do we understand the general flow of discussion? Do we have an indication of the cultural background at hand? What did the author mean in the day that he/she wrote the passage? It is imperative that we clear up all the factual problems before moving into the theological meaning of any passage of Scripture. It is also important to visualize yourself as a participant in the crowd of the original audience in order to understand the authenticity of the original message. There are two terms that are always used when practicing the art of hermeneutics. The first term is known as, “eisegesis” (ice-sa-ge-sis), which means to read your own meaning into a passage. Interpreting the Bible correctly begins with a great deal of prayer, learning how to pay attention to what the text itself is saying, and then pulling the meaning out of each passage. This term is called, “exegesis” (ex-sa-ge-sis), which means to draw out from. We must allow each passage to be defined by what is actually in the text of Scriptures, supported by the surrounding verses of the text, if we intend on interpreting the Bible in context and in a correct manner. We can no longer put into a passage of Scripture our own meanings and interpretations about a particular subject when that subject is not listed or included in the passage at hand. This is called “bias demeanor” and “subjectivity,” which is the framework of silent manipulation and control. For example, if I said, “Farmers sow seeds in the ground to bring up a harvest,” this text should NOT be interpreted as, “People should give me money in order to gain possessions.” This is a primary example of bias demeanor and subjectivity. As the author of that statement, I literally meant what I stated, that farmers who plant seeds in the ground will grow a harvest. As you see, my original message can easily be misinterpreted if the meanings of all the words surrounding the context are misunderstood, and if the meaning of the original writer is misunderstood then the true meaning behind the story could be lost forever.

The eighteenth author Daniel Mynyk seattles the argument about Abram’s tithe spoils of war and not income in Freedom To Give (The Biblical Truth About Tithing).

The nature of Abram’s tithe Several questions and issues can arise for one who examines the account of Abram’s tithe in detail without merely viewing the presence of the word tithe through the lens of modern tradition. Reading the details of this account, one can notice several problems with an attempt to extrapolate Abram’s tithe to one’s current understanding of the alleged tithing doctrine. These problems shall be analyzed using Abram’s tithe as the “tithe that binds.” First, how many times do the Scriptures record Abram giving something in the form of a “tithe”? Genesis chapter 14 and Hebrews chapter 7 are the only accounts of Abram’s tithe, and they are both of the same event. As far as we know Abram only tithed to Melchizedek once. Accordingly, we can then notice that Abram only tithed to anyone once. A legitimate question protrudes from examining this problem: How does Abram’s one-time tithe to Melchizedek argue a case whereby those who claim him as a “father” must tithe not only once but continually? Read chapter 15 of this book to analyze a possible significance between the priesthood of Melchizedek and the fact that Abram tithed only once. Second, of what source did Abram tithe? Did Abram tithe of his own “income”? One author claimed: “It is a disputed point whether Abraham meant a tithe of all his property, or of all the spoils of war which he had with him.”[26] Although Genesis 14:20 says that Abram gave Melchizedek “tithes of all” and Hebrews 7:2 says that Abram gave “a tenth part of all,” Hebrews 7:4 clarifies that he gave “the tenth of the spoils.” One could argue that the “tithe of spoils” was only part of what Abram gave Melchizedek in the “tithes of all.” However, this reasoning fails both logic and Scriptural analysis. Obviously the “all” can mean “all the spoils of the battle.” The context of Abram’s tithe is directly within the context of winning the battle, returning the spoils, and the king of Sodom requesting a return of his people. Abram gave Melchizedek the tithe after returning from chasing the alliance of Chedorlaomer to Hobah. Abram met both Melchizedek and the king of Sodom in a place called “the valley of Shaveh,” which likely belonged to the king of Sodom. Abram was not in his own home when he gave Melchizedek the tithe. It would defy logic and be to argue from silence to believe that Abram brought all his many possessions with him to battle. Abram did not have all his possessions with him. He tithed to Melchizedek of the spoils of the battle as Hebrews 7:4 makes clear. If, indeed, Abram tithed only of the spoils of war to Melchizedek—things that were stolen from the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah—and not from his own possessions, how does Abram’s tithe in this regard present an obligation to those who claim him as “father” to tithe of their own “income”? Third, of what type of substance did Abram tithe? Did Abram tithe only of money? Did Abram tithe of money at all? Likely, Abram’s tithe included money, but was not limited to money. Genesis 14:11 says that the alliance of Chedorlaomer took all the “good” and “victual” from the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. The “goods” may have included money, but likely also included clothing and weapons. The “victuals” strictly means “food.” The alliance stole the food that these kings brought with them to sustain themselves for the battle. In verse 21, the king of Sodom granted Abram to keep the “goods” but requested to return the people. In verse 23, Abram replied that he would not keep a “thread” to a “shoelatchet,” which both indicate small portions of clothing. In verse 24, Abram also qualified that he could not return food that his men had already eaten or would need to compensate them for their efforts. If Abram’s tithe consisted mostly of material things and food, why do many who attempt to regard Abram’s tithe as a model for continual practice for the church dictate that the people only tithe from sources of monetary income or comparable liquidity? Fourth, what did Abram do with the rest of the spoils after he tithed of them to Melchizedek? Genesis 14:21-24 distinctly records that Abram returned the remnant of the spoils back to the king of Sodom.

The nineteenth author Ron Knott gives 27 reason for why tithing is not money in the Bible Tithing-Fact or Fiction.

In starting our search through the Scriptures for the truth concerning tithing let us consider the following Situational awareness statements. Further into the study we will address each one of these statements. TWENTY-SEVEN REASONS OR CONSIDERATIONS FOR NOT TITHING 1. There was no command to tithe before or after the Law. 2. Did Adam and Eve, Job, Noah, or Joseph tithe? 3. Why did God reject Cain’s gift? 4. Tithing is not commanded in the Ten Commandments. 5. The tithe was never money; it was always agricultural products. 6. Tithes are to be eaten. 7. Tithes are to go into the storehouse. 8. Under the Law one could redeem his tithes. 9. Only a tenth of the tithe went to the priest. 10. Every three years the tithe went to the need. 11. Every seven years there was no tithe. 12. The people paid a tithe to themselves. 13. Tithes were for the Levites, widows, aliens, and fatherless. 14. All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. 15. The Law tolerated many wives, concubines, sacrifices, and tithes. (The implication here is if we teach one of these practices – why not all?) 16. Who is robbing God of tithes and offerings? 17. Jesus did not tithe, nor did He accept tithes. 18. The New Testament Church did not tithe. 19. The New Testament command concerning giving: “Every man as he purposeth …” 2 Corinthians 9:7 20. Since the New Testament salvation plan is superior to the Old Testament salvation plan we can conclude that the New Testament giving plan is superior to the Old Testament giving plan. We have a better covenant with better promises. Which plan should we follow? 21. God honors acceptable gifts and rejects unacceptable gifts. 22. The Pope reinstated tithing at the Council of Macon in 585 AD. 23. Where do your tithes go? 24. Should we support the church and the ministry? Absolutely! But not by the Old Testament Law of tithing. 25. Present day priests, pastors, and preachers are not restricted from owning land, as were their counterparts in the Old Testament. 26. Why are not all who tithe wealthy? 27. Are you blessed financially for tithing or for giving to the poor? There are a lot more than twenty-seven reasons why New Testament Christians should not tithe but these should be sufficient for this study.

Knott, Ron. Tithing-Fact or Fiction (pp. 45-47). Kindle Edition.

The twentyeeth author Alvin J. Bates mences no words to proclaim that titing and first fruits is not monetary but food in Debunking The Tithe of Israel”: Warning: Ministers of the Gospel Read only at your own risk!

Next, let’s talk about giving under the Law of Moses. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: At the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty handed. Every man shall give as he is able according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you. Deuteronomy 16:16 and 17 Now most preachers would jump up and say “that’s what I’m talking about!” Let’s take a closer examination of God’s word. The first command was to appear before the Lord their God to all three feasts. The second command was to give as he is able. Some men would have undoubtedly given much more than others. Some men whose hearts were not right with God would have given less. But the key phrase here in verse 17 is every man is to give as he is able. This means it is an offering from the heart and not some ritualistic giving of say “10 percent of everything they made.” Remember, the tithe was a forced saving up of food for the people to be used on the trip to Jerusalem and during the feasts of the Lord. The teaching of the tithe has been used to pile on guilt and force people to give 10 percent of their earnings to the church or God will “curse you” and yours with “the Curse” given for breaking the Law of Moses. The last time I checked the New Testament, Jesus had fulfilled the whole Law of Moses, and we now live under “Grace.” Uhm mm. If we are now living under grace, then how in the world can we likewise be living under the “Curse of the Law of Moses?” Yet that is exactly what nearly all preachers proclaim. This teaching is an untruth and should be stopped immediately! Fulfilled means “completed,” and still we visit all those old law scriptures when it comes to money yet stay in the new testament for nearly everything else—hypocrisy! Either we are living under the old law, or else we have been delivered out of the old law and now live under the Spirit of Grace whereby we cry “abba father.”

The modern teaching that our “firstfruits” is really our first 10 percent of every dollar we make is really, wrong. The firstfruits when the children of Israel entered the Promised Land was the first of all the produce that grew out of the ground and not “money made.” Why is it that today and for hundreds of years churches have claimed firstfruits as “money made,” even when 90 percent of all Christians were farmers all around the world just a few years ago, and farmers could give food! In old England, some churches used to build “tithe barns” on church property to hold their tithes. Whew! I guess they knew that the tithe was really food. Calling “the tithe” money is a total perversion of scripture, and to call money “a shadow” as to what God was saying to the children of Israel is “heresy.” For God to say one thing and for us to do another is a total and complete perversion of scripture. This is hypocrisy, pure and simple!

The twenty first author David A Croteau examines the tithe doctrine who paid and did not pay tithes in the scritptures in the Perspectives on Tithing.

Different scholars have different calculations. Regardless of the total, the tithe laws are clearly more complicated than a mere 10 percent; also, the Israelites were required to give more than 10 percent from the land. Nowhere is there a command to tithe from income.

Tithes were given from the increase of the land. The Mosaic law never directed the Israelites to give of their increase; it specified particular products that were liable to tithe laws, and these products were always connected to the land. There was a very strong connection of products liable to tithes to the land; originally, only products produced from Israel were included. In the New Testament period, artisans, fishermen, and tradesmen did not pay tithes on their income, and Jews outside Israel (those in the Diaspora) did not pay tithes on anything.9 Furthermore, priests and the poor (who owned no land or animals) were exempt from tithes.

The Mosaic law demands systematic tithing. Abram gave his tithe to Melchizedek (a priest), while the Mosaic law tithes were (mostly) for the Levites. Abram gave voluntarily and not from his own possessions; the Mosaic law tithe was compulsory and was on the increase of possessions connected to the land. Abram gave 10 percent to Melchizedek (though his gift was really 100 percent) and the Mosaic law tithe averages about 20 percent. Finally, there is no evidence that Abram was obeying some revelation from God prior to the Mosaic law. Numbers 31:27–29 says that the Israelites were to take one five-hundredths (0.2 percent) of the spoils of war and give it to the priest as an offering to Yahweh.10 Therefore, the stipulated amount required by the Mosaic law for spoils won in battle is significantly less than what Abram offered Melchizedek in Genesis 14.

The twenty second author C. L. Threatt explians in Malachi what the rain and devourer means in relation to tithing in The Tithes That Bind.

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. KJV The devourer in question was pests that were destroying the products of the earth and the fruits of the trees. Some say today that our devourer is satan, because the Bible says he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1Peter 5:8). His job is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), and what better way to do this than through our finances. The land was once plentiful, but the sin of not bringing the whole tithe caused it to be cursed. God was telling the Israelites that if they did as He commanded, the curse would be lifted, the windows of heaven would be opened, and pour out an abundant blessing. What were the windows of heaven? The windows of heaven as it relates to this scripture are the clouds and rain. In Genesis 7:11, the windows of heaven opened up to pour out a deluge of wrath during the flood of Noah. In Malachi, God promised to open the windows of heaven again, only this time, the rain would be a blessing rather than a curse. The land at that time was barren due to a lack of rain, and because their tithes were of an agricultural nature (grains and crops), they were suffering. God promised to pour out rain so that they would have so many crops that they wouldn’t have room for them.

The twenty Third author Eric M. Hill explians how some early church fathers were misinterpreted as it relates to tithing inWhat Preachers Never Tell You About Tithes & Offerings: The End of Clergy Manipulation & Extortion.

Bishop Cyprian of Carthage Bishop Cyprian (A.D. 200-258) represents those early church leaders who did not advocate the tithe, but who strongly believed the clergy should be involved in no worldly activities that would encroach on its ability to serve the church. Of course, this belief, noble as it was, was used in later years by others to create and demand a financial tithe. That’s one reason why we’re including it here. In 249 A.D. he explained that “every one honoured by the divine priesthood, and ordained in the clerical service, ought to serve only the altar and sacrifices, and to have leisure for prayers and supplications.” Cyprian’s letter uses the Levites as an example for ministers who are able to devote their full attention to the ministry of the church, which he considered to be prayers and supplications: …the Levitical tribe, which was left free for the temple and the altar, and for the divine ministries, received nothing from that portion of the division; [the allocation of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel once they crossed the Jordan river with Joshua] but while others cultivated the soil, that portion [the Levites] only cultivated the favour of God, and received the tithes from the eleven tribes, for their food and maintenance, from the fruits which grew. All which was done by divine authority and arrangement, so that they who waited on divine services might in no respect be called away, nor be compelled to consider or to transact secular business. Which plan and rule is now maintained in respect of the clergy, that they who are promoted by clerical ordination in the Church of the Lord may be called off in no respect from the divine administration, nor be tied down by worldly anxieties and matters; but in the honour of the brethren who contribute, receiving as it were tenths of the fruits, they may not withdraw from the altars and sacrifices, but may serve day and night in heavenly and spiritual things. A careful reading of Cyprian’s short letter reveals that its subject is not the Old Testament tithe, the modern financial tithe, or even financial support of the clergy. It is the ideal of church sponsored clergy taking care of the church without distractions. Cyprian mentions the model of the Levites solely for this purpose, and not to encourage a financial tithe.

It is important to correct this error because Cyprian’s letter has been cited by many anti-tithers as his attempt to support the clergy with financial tithes. This mistake gives the appearance that there was a credible effort to introduce the new tithe system a hundred years before bishops began to do so. The sentence in Cyprian’s letter from where this idea comes doesn’t support this view: …but in the honour of the brethren who contribute, receiving as it were tenths of the fruits, they may not withdraw from the altars and sacrifices, but may serve day and night in heavenly and spiritual things. Cyprian states that the clergy was supported “by the brethren who contribute,” and that this was “as it were tenths of the fruits.” As it were is a simile, “a figure of speech in which two dissimilar things are compared by the use of like or as.” The bishop was stating simply that freewill contributions given to support the clergy and tithes given to support Levites were similar in this manner: the object was to provide modest financial assistance so they could fulfill their leadership duties without distraction.36 It is significant that such a fervent and focused leader (and future martyr) should rely on freewill contributions to fulfill his clergy obligations instead of demanding money through a new tithe system. If it were possible for him, why is it not possible for us?

This short list of authors who disagree with tithing is by no means exhaustive, but in my research this list can go back centuries. Many people did not agree to the commuting of the food and crop tithe to money. I guess I’m not different in my view and so here is a quote from my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?

“There are varying beliefs and theological arguments on whether there were one, two, or three tithes in Israel. This chapter examines different tithing practices in Israel; importantly, it will not focus on the number of tithes. I will examine tithing based on its empirical definition, which is from the agricultural production and livestock that relates to farmers and herders who tithed in Israel using Leviticus 27:30-33. Individual study of the tithe doctrine in Israel and how many there were is essential for understanding the tithe practices of the Hebrew people. No matter what position you may have regarding the number of tithes, it is important to understand that the term “tithe” in Hebrew always refers to food; it never refers to money.
Based on the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE), the view of multiple tithes is, “There is an obvious apparent discrepancy between the legislation in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. It is harmonized in Jewish [Hebrew] tradition, not only theoretically, but in practice, by considering the tithes as three different tithes, which are named the first tithe, the second tithe and the poor tithe, which is called the third tithe.”

The article is titled, Single Mom Fined $1,000 by Church For Not Tithing–Threatens to Remove Her. After reading the article, I shook my head in disbelief and knew I had to write another blog post to address tithing. I guess I will be for the foreseeable furture continue to write tithing blogs until the monetary tithing madness ends. Let me make this clear as day, what you give to your church is your personal business. However no pastor has a right to take scripture out of context as a means to sustain a finanical system the Bible never endorses. So let’s take a magnifying glass to a scripture text to show that tithing in the Bible was not income but edible items. We know pastors love to quote Malachi but I will not start with that verse. You can get signed paperbacks, just order Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? from Paypalme for $23.87

Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? The Untwisted Truth About the Centuries Old Tithes and Offering Deception examines the history of church tithes, a practice from the early days of Christianity which takes a darker turn as its history and connections to actual Scripture are probed from its original applications to modern times. But if readers expect a supportive Scripture-based emphasis on the value of tithes, it should be advised that Kleptomaniac does not toe a party line of religious propriety but offers a sobering and critical examination of the notion of tithes and how it has changed over the centuries.

Church-goers who struggle with the idea of tithes and Church donation processes will discover that there’s reason for their concerns. There is an ongoing battle for truth and orthodoxy surrounding these matters, and this too is covered as Kleptomaniac analyzes the Biblical roots and intention of tithes and how the Church has applied them over the centuries.

This book is dedicated “To those who have suffered the wrath of family, friends, pastors, churches and other Christians for changing their giving practice from mandatory tithing to New Covenant, post-tithe freewill giving, remember, this fight to reveal the truth about tithing started centuries ago. People from many denominations and religious groups have held views against tithing long before we were born and the debate still rages on in the annals of theology.”

That tithing has long been a powerful controversy is reflected in the Introduction’s dedication: “To those who have been excommunicated from their church, to those who feel shunned, to those who have lost friends, to those who have been cut off from fellowship and to those who want to give from their heart without a percentage mandate, your voices will echo through the pages of this book. Also, to the believers from past generations who died never knowing that a curse on their lives never existed for not tithing, may this book be a light to your descendants who are still afraid to question tithing.”

Despite its fiery contentions, Kleptomaniac’s approach rests firmly on a combination of historical precedent, experience and analysis, and Scriptural quotes that back Dr. Frank Chase Jr.’s scrutiny. Chapters thus adopt a scholarly tone as they pull quotes from Scripture to analyze them: “I will examine the different tithes as separate items for context. The Bible gives specific instructions on how to distribute the tithe and to whom the tithe belonged. Who did God command to receive the tithe and who paid the tithe? Numbers 18, lays out the legal legislation on tithes under the law. However, before we look at this text, let’s jump forward to the New Testament. Hebrews 7:5 is the nail in the proverbial coffin that says who can collect tithes.”

From keywords and comparing Bible references to how tithes were (and are) being stolen from early to modern times, Dr. Chase’s scholarly analysis is precise, well detailed and reasoned, intricately researched and referenced, and yet is very accessible to lay audiences: “I think this book presents convincing doctrinal evidence that no money tithe argument can be established because it is inconsistent with Scripture, context and history. Although the Bible clearly describes that tithing took place in many verses, it does not mean that we continue the practice through commuting the tithe to money. The description of tithing food in the Old Testament does not equate to a money tithe prescription in the New Testament.”

Dr. Chase’s attention to detail in covering the history of tithing and his analysis of what constitutes an authentic tithe in keeping with God’ Biblical directives includes a great deal of research into early Greek and Hebrew writings, creating a weighty yet authoritative, accessible piece filled with empirical evidence and discussions central to the tithe’s place in Christian theology. Although its research-backed history is not light reading, its attention to well- researched detail is impeccably presented, and represents a breath of fresh air to a topic typically laden with more emotion than reasoned inspection.

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When the truth smacks people in the face, the response sometimes comes in the form of obfuscation. That’s the case with monetary tithing. For a lot of people in the religious community who stand by the docrtine of monetary tithing, many of them don’t realize they are behaving like peasants. What do I mean by that? Well, the literal informal meaning defines a peasants “as an ignorant rude, or unsophisticated person; a person of low social status.” When it comes to tithing, many people go on the defensive and sometimes to the extreme to defend the monetary tithe doctrine that has no biblical support. At one time in history, the Bible was was entirely latin and during that time, the farming peasant community could not read so they had to depend on the religious elites to translate the words of the Bible, which made peasants vulnerable to whims of any transliteration or interpretation put forth by the religious leaders. Today, most people don’t really study tithing in its purest sense. That’s why preachers can interpret the tithe as money and the peasant congregation just accepts the interpretation because they believe what the preacher tells them even when the evidence suggests otherwise. Though the monetary tithe was created out of context in the back rooms of religious leaders centuries ago. They also had a plan to ensure tithing would exist in future ages and they way that happened was to convince people they would be cursed if they didn’t tithe and to convince people of boutiful blessings if they faithfully tithed using Malachi chapter 3, which was redefined for the masses of christian peasants. The whole monetary tithe ponzi plan was based on financial interests and had nothing to do with the Bible. You can get signed paperbacks, just order Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? from Paypalme for $23.87

For those interested in what reviewer think about, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? go to Reader’s Favorite and learn more about what a reviewer thinks.

Author and former military man Frank Chase Jr. grew in Baltimore, MD. He got interested in writing from watching movies and listening to a radio show called mystery theatre, but it was only in his thirties after a divorce that his desire to write escalated. His debut book “False Roads to Manhood: What Women Need to Know: What Men Need to Understand” took him seven years of research and writing. If he weren’t a writer, Frank would be a stage actor as it has been his passion since high school.Being a writer has taught him that everyone will not agree with you or what you may write, but it leaves a record and a legacy that can help future generations long after you have passed on. He is currently writing a scripture-centered book and also plans on writing a fiction novel soon. Read full interview…

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In the face of overwhelming biblical truth that tithing is not money, why do people persist to think they are really tithing to God when they pay ten percent of their income to a church, which is later deposited into a secular bank? Not one penny they hand over ever reaches the hand of God. So what’s up with this picture. Believers blindly believe the monetary tithe doctrine because they are driven by the force of custom and habit. It really has nothing to do with the Bible, but more with trying to fit into a institutional system that tells you what to believe rather than you studying for yourself. Custom, habit and doctrine can be a powerful influence on people who depend on professional preachers to feed them the Word indstead of them feeding themselves. The desire to pay tithes of income is like an opioid addiction becuase there are many benefits promised to those who pay without question. There is also another addictive pattern that goes along with tithe blessings that is the fear of a curse. The prospect of a curse from God on those who don’t pay tithes reigns supreme in the minds of the fearful, so they pay up at all cost to avoid God’s wrath. This pattern of pay paying tithes strickly comes from the force of custom, habit and tradition established by men and not by God. Tithing money has become an established belief system by the theology man’s traditions, customs and habits rising above the sovereignty and authority of the scripture. Tithing money is an act of elevating man’s tradition over God’s law. So then the practice of paying a tenth of your income to the institutional church is a tradition based on the living faith of the dead (that is dead family members who paid tithes and taught you to do the same) and tithing is based on traditionalism, which is the dead faith of the living (everybody tithes becuase everybody does it). It’s a form of religious mob mentality. You can get signed paperbacks, just order Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? from Paypalme for $23.87

In this blog post, it will be evident that tithes are not money, but I wonder how many people will open their minds and hearts to consider the truth based on facts, hermeneutics and proper exegesis. If you look at Deuteronmy chapter 12 and 14 and Leviticus chapter 27, or any other of the tithe reference in scripture, it will be clear that God wanted grain, new wine, new oil, herds and focks as the authorized tithe from those who were given land in Israel. There can be no other interpretation of the biblical tithe and to try to convert the food tithe to money is nothing more than an attempt to high-jack scripture for financial gain. Do churches need money to sustain it itself with the secular banking system? The answer is yes. When churches operate in the 501c3 tax code system, they must abide by tax code rules and the contracts they signed with the back when they decided to become servants to the lender. Building a churh building takes a lot of money and many congregations or church orgainizations have to violate Proverbs 22:7, which say, “The rich ruler over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” Signing a huge building loan from a bank, immediately thrusts pastors into a perpetual fundrasing mode for his entire life in the pulpit to pay lender back. The church, the board and all the membership become servants to the banker who controls them until the church loan is paid off. Many pastors have to resort to heavy handed tithe sermons with promises of blessings for those who pay and curses for those who don’t pay to keep from loosing the building in foreclosure. If you fear a curse from God, you’ll pay up and if you love receiving blessings, you’ll pay up. Not a bad deal on both ends as a form of fundraising. But the problems is, the Bible never endorses the financial methods emplimented in most fundraising efforts in today’s churches. The tithe was never God’s plan to fund churches or salaries for church workers. In fact, Paul endorsed the idea that all must work for a living to earn a salary, including pastors and church workers. I cover all of this in my book Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really robbing God Anyway?. The tithe was an inheretence that God said belonged to the Levites along with other benefits.

We often for get that Ancient hebrews who lived in Israel operated as a agricultural theolocracy that required a tithe from the harvest and the every tenth animal from the livestock. This system was set up by God to support the Levitical priesthood which operated under sacrifical laws and offerings. If you notice, today we do not live under a theocratic system but a democratic system, which cannot sustain a monetary tithing system. People love to claim that tithing is required in the New Testament but, you would have to find a verse or passage where the Messiah referred to tithing on Jewhish money such as Deanarius, Bekahs, Drachmas, Gerahs, Talents or Mites neither silver or gold of that time. There is not one single biblical reference where anyone paid a tithe on any of these coins. It should be known also that paper money was not invented yet.

Many claims are made about the tithe and many people believe them as if those claims come from the mouth of God or His word. What follows are claims that have no bearing in scripture and so you can just regard them as false claims driven by the force of custom and habit and not scripture.

False claim 1. The tithe applies to everyone. This is not true becuase tithing only applied to those in Isreal who who were farmers and ranchers among the 11 tribes who paid the tithe to the levites. It should also be known that the tithe was commanded for the Levites and since Jesus was from the tribe of Benjamin, the Bible says nothing about the tribe of Benjamin receiving tithes. Therefore, the arguement that you pay tithes to Jesus is false becuse he was not from the tribe of Levi.

False claim 2. God requires you to give 10% of your income to the church as a tithe. This is not true becuase there is not chapters and verse that covers monetary tithing. And becasue the tithe is empiracally defined as food, money was not the tithe of the Bible nor is money required as a tithe in church.

False claim 3. God will curse you if you don’t tithe. This is true only if you did not tithe crops and livestock as God required in the law. There is not curse for not tithing money since the biblical tithe is all edible items.

False Claim 4. God will make you rich by pouring out blessgings from the windows of heaven. This is false becasue the windows of heaven is not about money, it is about the expanse of the sky from which rain falls. If you tithe money when the Bibles does not endore this action, there is no benefit to you because the practice is based on custom, tradition and man’s Law not God’s law.

In my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? cover many more false tithing claims coming from the pulpit that can be biblically refuted. The list I’m providing below tell you exactly what the law says about tithing, taxes and T’rumah and you will find that not one time did God command a tithe of money. So the question is if God’s law’s does not require money as a tithe, why does man’s law insist in violating the Law God by commuting the tithe to money in opposition to the scriputure. Here are the the tithe laws.

That an uncircumcised person shall not eat of the t’rumah (heave offering), and the same applies to other holy things. This rule is inferred from the law of the Paschal offering, by similarity of phrase (Ex. 12:44-45 and Lev. 22:10) but it is not explicitly set forth in the Torah. Traditionally, it has been learnt that the rule that the uncircumcised must not eat holy things is an essential principle of the Torah and not an enactment of the Scribes (negative). See Brit Milah: Circumcision

Not to alter the order of separating the t’rumah and the tithes; the separation be in the order first-fruits at the beginning, then the t’rumah, then the first tithe, and last the second tithe (Ex. 22:28) (negative) (CCI19).

To give half a shekel every year (to the Sanctuary for provision of the public sacrifices) (Ex. 30:13) (affirmative).

That a kohein who is unclean shall not eat of the t’rumah (Lev. 22:3-4) (negative). See Kohein.

That a person who is not a kohein or the wife or unmarried daughter of a kohein shall not eat of the t’rumah (Lev. 22:10) (negative). See Kohein.

That a sojourner with a kohein or his hired servant shall not eat of the t’rumah (Lev. 22:10) (negative). See Kohein.

Not to eat tevel (something from which the t’rumah and tithe have not yet been separated) (Lev. 22:15) (negative) (CCI18).

To set apart the tithe of the produce (one tenth of the produce after taking out t’rumah) for the Levites (Lev. 27:30; Num. 18:24) (affirmative) (CCI12). See Levi.

To tithe cattle (Lev. 27:32) (affirmative).

Not to sell the tithe of the herd (Lev. 27:32-33) (negative).

That the Levites shall set apart a tenth of the tithes, which they had received from the Israelites, and give it to the kohanim (called the t’rumah of the tithe) (Num. 18:26) (affirmative) (CCI13). See Kohein, Levi.

Not to eat the second tithe of cereals outside Jerusalem (Deut. 12:17) (negative).

Not to consume the second tithe of the vintage outside of Jerusalem (Deut. 12:17) (negative).

Not to consume the second tithe of the oil outside of Jerusalem (Deut. 12:17) (negative).

Not to forsake the Levites (Deut. 12:19); but their gifts (dues) should be given to them, so that they might rejoice therewith on each and every festival (negative). See Levi.

To set apart the second tithe in the first, second, fourth and fifth years of the sabbatical cycle to be eaten by its owner in Jerusalem (Deut. 14:22) (affirmative) (CCI14) (today, it is set aside but not eaten in Jerusalem).

To set apart the second tithe in the third and sixth year of the sabbatical cycle for the poor (Deut. 14:28-29) (affirmative) (CCI15) (today, it must be separated out but need not be given to the poor).

To give the kohein the due portions of the carcass of cattle (Deut. 18:3) (according to the Talmud, this is not mandatory in the present outside of Israel, but it is permissible, and some observant people do so) (CCA51). See Kohein.

To give the first of the fleece to the kohein (Deut. 18:4) (according to the Talmud, this is not mandatory in the present outside of Israel, but it is permissible, and some observant people do so) (CCA52). See Kohein.

To set apart t’rumah g’dolah (the great heave-offering, that is, a small portion of the grain, wine and oil) for the kohein (Deut. 18:4) (affirmative) (CCI11). See Kohein.

Not to expend the proceeds of the second tithe on anything but food and drink (Deut. 26:14). Anything outside of things necessary for sustenance comes within the class in the phrase “Given for the dead” (negative).

Not to eat the Second Tithe, even in Jerusalem, in a state of uncleanness, until the tithe had been redeemed (Deut. 26:14) (negative).

In this list of tithe commands, you will notice that there is more than one tithe in Israel. What you also see in this list is food and not money in reference to the tithe. Now that is interesting because no church is practicing the other required tithes like Israel. In my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway, I cover a lot of information about the different kinds of tithes required in scriptures. For those who like to claim they follow the tithe laws in their churc, they must also consider the that the Bible requries forgiveness from debts. According to Deuteronomy 15:1-2, 1 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. 2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the LORD’s release.” All debt is supposed to be forgiven and you start with a new clean slate for the next seven years. So according to the law, you can tell your banker that God said after seven years, you don’t have to pay your morgage. Since the tithe laws comes out of Deuteronomy, the Lord’s release from debt is no different. Let’s see how far that goes. Because a pastor is not from the tribe of Levi, he cannot collect tithes.

Now for those who like to argue the Abram, Melchizedek tithe principle, there there is not way one can justify a monetary tithe based on what Abram tithed to Melchizedek. The first question one must ask it what did Abram tithe from, his personal wealth or what he captured in a war. The book of Hebrews bears this out that Abram tithe came from spoils of war not income. Here a good write up about Melchizedek getting a tithe from Abram.

Gal 3:10 (NRS) All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

A point often made is that since Abram gave 10 percent of the war-spoils to Melchizedek, the tithe came before the law and is thus not a part of it.

In a word, nonsense. For example, God killed an animal to provide a “covering” for Adam and Eve, and Able got this right in his approach to God by way of sacrifice, long before the sacrificial “covenant” spelled out the details. So did Abraham, Jacob and many others predating “the Law”. Does this mean we should still kill animals in sacrifice, since Able and Abraham did so before the Law of Moses was formally established? No. This would be so flimsy an excuse logically that it could only be made by someone with a strong hankering for the old wine. (Luke 5:39) Good grief, how far away from Christ do we want to go, and with what faulty logic as an excuse? What next, we can’t eat “apples” from certain trees… should be carried into the “new covenant”? In Christ the religious law is dispatched with in totality, and to embrace any part of it is to tacitly reject the reality of the incarnation of Christ and the promises of the New Covenant.

Imagine that someone actually asserted that we should not eat from certain apple trees because “this command predates the law, and thus is not part of the old or new covenant”. Wouldn’t this be a clear symptom of liking the old wine better than the new? Wouldn’t it also hark of an ignorance of biblical history and a penchant for religious myth as well? Was it an “apple”, as per popular fable, or a fig? What the tithe actually is in scripture is dealt with elsewhere, but for the purpose here we need to look at what happened between Abram and Melchizedek in context.

Melchizedek did not receive a tithe in the Deuteronomy 14:22-29 sense, obviously, even though the same Hebrew word is used since it was a “tenth”. Yet the context was different in many aspects. In the case of Melchizedek it was a “spoils of war” issue; more like a tribute or tax than the tithe. Melchizedek was a king and priest and had a higher standing than Abraham who was at that time a wanderer without a home, and thus Abraham paid tribute to “the greater”. This is the point of the citation in the New Testament. For the purposes of the point of the writer of Hebrews, the amount (5/10/20/50%) is not the point–it is that Abraham paid homage as a lesser to a greater. “The Tithe” in the old covenant had little to do with homage, rather the opposite. The greater were to give to the lesser (alien, Levites, widows, etc.) as can be seen in the definition of the tithe in Dt 14:22-29

Heb 7:4 (NIV) Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!

From this precedent, and since Melchizedek was a priest as well as a king, the Old Testament priests got a sort of “tax” of 10% payments that were also termed “tithes” as a means to fund the temple, as well as getting gifts from Kings (later), and being included in the OT “tithe party” (Dt 14 style), as well as getting to eat the meat offered in sacrifice, etc., etc. As you can see, the Levites had multiple sources of income and providence, but the rules were strict: they were not allowed to own anything, they had no inheritance in this life. Their focus had to be on God, since by definition they could not own anything.

The spiritual point of this is full of meaning for us. The “priests” are not the clergy, right? As Russell Hobbs likes to say: “You are a priest of the Most High God!” yet our minds easily snap back to false religious notions that the Old Covenant priests were replaced by Pastors or Popes or Clergy. It is not so. If there is an application here, it is to all believers, not just a few.

So what is God saying here? We (the Levites, the priests of God) are to have no inheritance? It think so. Consider the lilies. Consider the sparrows. Sound familiar?

It is a hard teaching for “the rich”, and not many will enter the kingdom. But with God, all things are possible.

Luke 14:33 (Phi) “Only the man who says goodbye to all his possessions can be my disciple.”

In conclusion, remember that we are no longer under the shadow law in any sense, certainly not in a small detail of how the old-covenant priesthood was funded. Along these lines–if you have not read it already–I highly recommend the message entitled “The New Legalism“.

The new covenant makes most every aspect of the old covenant more severe and radical. All might be required, and presently. Jesus might look at us and say, “Sell all you have…” or just a field, or perhaps something else. There is no telling, and thus we must get rid of all sense of possessing. Jesus made the Old Covenant seem easy in many respects: “I tell you, if a man lusts in his heart…” and “He who hates has committed murder…” and so on. In like manner, Jesus takes giving/tithing/tribute to the radical and ultimate extreme. All is required, even if you get to keep some of it for a time. <smiles> Our treasure is elsewhere.

Mt 6:24-34 (NIV) “No-one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Melchizedek Getting a tithe from Abram

For those of you who don’t know the law on tithing, the biblical tithing obligation applies only to agricultural produce in the land of Israel. That means no believer is obligated to tithe money because they live outside the land of Israel and are not from one of the 11 farming and herding tribes of Israel. If you study the tithing system closely as God set it up in the law to protect the less fortunate. Tithing was anti-aristocracy. In it’s purest form, it ensured no one would go hungry. The tithe system prevented an aristrocacy in Isreal. That is not the case today with mega churches. We have an aristocratic millionaraire class of clergy that has crated a system of haves and have not the body of Christ. Instead of an aristocracy among a dominant, landed class of tribes that collects taxes from subservient tenants or serfs based on their ownership of land, the Torah presents the tribe of Levi as a model anti-aristocracy, a class of itinerant Levite scholars who collected tithes from from 11 tribes based their own lack of ownership of land. God said to the landed class in Israel, “Don’t abandon the Levite in your gates, for he has no portion and inheritance among you” (Deuteronomy 14:27).

I need to address to this problem about a teaching that’s been going around for years that God will bless you 30, 60 and 100 fold if you pay your tithes. Mark 13-1-13 and Mark 4:14-20 is one the most grossly mis-interpreted text to try to collect baseline income from God’s people. If you have knack for biblical foolery on tithing, the slide below will give you insight into what the 30, 60 and 100 fold blesssing really address.

Get a signed paperback of Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? from the author at: FC Publishing, LLC http://www.fcpublishing.com/about_kleptomaniac.htm.

When I wrote my book, I set out to explain some of the passages and the logic behind some of the text in book bubbles. Many of the book bubbles share book excerpts and my thoughts about why I wrote the text or how the research affected me. My first book bubble, The Fight Continues deals with the views that churches have about tithing. And even though I published a book, teaching and sharing the truth about tithing has been a centuries-old fight. What has been difficult about tithing is learning that everyone has their own personal meaning what the term mean, so in my second book bubbles, Understanding Tithing Starts With a Definition explains the meaning of the term tithing to set the foundation so people won’t go off the rails on unfounded definitions. You have to establish and empirical definition before you can start talking about a subject and what it means. For me reasearch is important in getting to the bottom line of a subject, so my third book bubble, Research Brings Truth explains how I went about peeling back the layers of existing tithe doctrines in Christian theological circles. For many in the church, the argument has been that tithing existed before the law and that somehow justifies commuting the biblical food tithe to monetary tithing so that got me thinking about my forth book bubble, The Law Does Not Teach Money Tithing, which explains what the law actually taught about tithing and frankly the law did not say a utter a word about tithing income from a paycheck. One of the argument you will likely hear from the pulpit is that that Bible requires a tithe on the increase. Now on face value that is true, but what is the increase and how does the Bible define increase? That lead to my fifth book bubble, Tithing on Increase, which explains what the word means in context of scripture and not financial considerations of our current economic system. In the Bible the word increase has a different meaning and is confined to the economic system of that time. Tithing and giving have been conflated, redefined, taken out of context so much so that true giving is lost becuase of the confusion. In my sixth, book bubble, What Does True Giving Look Like? I try to explain biblical practice of freewill giving over the erroneous practice of monetary tithing which is not on the pages of the Bible. Many assume monetary tithing has always been the case, but in my seventh book bubble, Arguments Against Tithing Has a Long History, I share historical examples of people speaking out against the unlawful tampering of scripture to justify collecting money as a tithe. Long before many of us were born, many before us stood against the monetary tithe and paid the price with their lives. The debate has been whether the tithe is money or food, so to address that issue, my eighth book bubble, Monetary Tithing or Edible Tithing, Which One? puts to rest what the tithe is by sharing insight from the Jewish historian Josephus. Often when a financial system is threatened by exposing it fautly underpinnings, in this case church titing, there are no lengths the church will not go to make sure the status remain in tack. This lead me to write my ninth book bubble, The Church and its Money Grab Tactics to expose the different methods churches employ to collect ten percent of peoples paychecks. You would think that in scripture, one would be able to find a definitive postion on monetary tithing, and though we give Apostle Paut credit for penning much of the New Testament, my tenth book bubble, Paul Never Taught Believer to Tithe Money examines what Pau’s giving position was and how he viewed support gospel preachers. And guess what ladies and gentlemen, it was not tithing. Any time you have a conversation with a person who believes in tithing is to ask them to show you where Jesus paid monetary tithes. The first thing that will hit the person is cognitive dissonance because they won’t be able to find on verse to support their position. That is why my eleventh book bubble, Jesus and His Ministry Never Received Tithes talks about how the Messiah and the deciples received support and why Jesus could not pay or receive tithes. At some point in digging up the truth about monetary tithing after years of research, you have to conclude that as I did that tithing is not required, and that’s what my tweleveth book bubble, Official Orthodox Biblical Tithing Has Passed Away closes the book on the differences between tithing and giving by allowing context to define the tithe centuris ago and now as edible items (crops, livestock, grain, and flocks). This term first fruits, which is often confused with tihing is my thirteenth book bubble titled, What are First Fruits in the Bible? In this bubble, it is clear the Bible never defined first fruits as money as some do today, but in my author insight about the book excerpt, I make it clear that tithing and first fruits have exclusive meanings and can never be interchanged. Eating tithes verses paying tithes has been the quintessential question of the ages and yet when the Bible is pretty explicit that tithes are eatible items, some still won’t accept the truth of the word so in my fourteenth book bubble, Eating Tithes vs Paying Tithes I explain my thoughts on why people choose falsehood over truth. The first question one must ask when talking bout tithes is Jesus did not pay a tithe or collect a tithe, why should I be paying money the Bible does not require. I try to answer those question in my latest book bubble titled, Did Jesus Collect Tithes? I hope these book bubble give you information that you would go to my website and purchase a signed copy my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? For those who are interested in giving in the New Testament, I completed a partial power point study titled, New Testament Giving. There you will find what I discovered about giving in the New Testament. The ebook is now available at Amazon. Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway on Facebook

In this excerpt from my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway I talk about other tithe practices that seem unknown by most who claim they know what the Bible says about tithing. In chapter 7, The Tithe in Israel, i explain that:

“Israel also practiced another tithe, which some experts call a third tithe, poor tithe, or the third year tithe. Before going any further, let me say that according to some biblical scholars, historical experts, and theologians, there was never a second or third tithe in Israel. It is believed that Israel had only one tithe that was used in different ways based on the sabbatical and agricultural cycles. Although, I use the terms first, second, or third tithe, it is for the purpose of separating the tithe in distinctive ways to help make sense of a complex tithing system. The historian, Josephus, mentions three tithes; however, biblical experts say his tithe writings stem from concepts devised later by rabbinical and oral decrees and not from the biblical instructions Moses received from Yahweh. Preachers today who teach the misapplication of tithing are not following the biblical commands God gave Moses about the food tithe; rather, they are following traditions and customs of men created in later times to establish regular financial support for churches. The important fact about the tithe is what God restates in the law in Deuteronomy. Tithing laws change from Leviticus to Numbers and the reason is that when they got to the land of Canaan, God says in Deuteronomy 12:8 that, “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today [the wilderness]—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes—….”

In the wilderness, they performed tithing and other sacrificial functions based on what was right in their own eyes. However, in Canaan, God instituted very strict tithing and sacrificial rules. One of them was that they could no longer offer sacrifices as they did in the wilderness or approach the temple in the same way. Under the law, the tithe is regulated in a more fair way. When you examine the Scripture, it is clear where the tithe went and who received it in Deuteronomy 14:28-29:At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do (NKJV).The third year tithe is also detailed in Deuteronomy 26:12-14. When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, then you shall say before the LORD your God: I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. (NKJV).Based on the sabbatical cycle and the Scriptures, the tithe did not go to the temple. Every third and sixth year of the sabbatical cycle, the tithe stayed in the towns for people to eat? Excerpt From: Frank Chase Jr. “Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway.” iBooks.

It is clear God’s People ate the tithes. Levites, stranges, the poor, widows, orphans, the hungry all to part in eating the tithes that God approved. Before you say you know what tithing is in Israel it would be a good practice to study up on the tithe in Israel before you make a financial decisions to could up ten percent of your income based on a doctrine that is not in the Bible. I wish I had, but 30 years is a long time to go without knowing the truth about the lies told about tithing.

In closing, another author Michael Morrison, in Sabbath, Circumcision, and tithing wrote:

Tithing in ancient Israel

In the Law of Moses, biblical commands about tithing generally concern grain, wine and oil. A different system of giving was required for some animals. In the last plague on Egypt, God killed the firstborn male of every animal and human, but he spared the Israelites and their animals. Therefore, God claimed ownership of every Israelite firstborn and firstling male animal (Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:13).

This applied not only to the generation that left Egypt, but every future generation as well. “Clean” firstlings were to be given to the priests and sacrificed (Numbers 18:15-17); priests and people ate them during the festivals (Deuteronomy 15:19-20; 12:6, 17; 14:23). Firstlings of unclean animals and humans were to be redeemed (Exodus 13:12-15; 34:19-20). This continued to be the law in Nehemiah’s day (Nehemiah 10:36) and in Jesus’ day (Luke 2:23). The people also gave firstfruits of their harvest (Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Leviticus 2:14), but these firstfruits do not seem to be a fixed percentage. Tithing was required on flocks: “every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod” (Leviticus 27:32). Was this in addition to the firstlings, or was it instead of firstlings? We do not know exactly how these laws would be administered.
“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord” (Leviticus 27:30). The tithes and firstfruits belonged to God, and he gave them to the Levites (Numbers 18:12- 13, 21, 24). They could keep 90 percent of what they were given, but had to give 10 percent as an offering (verses 26-32).

Tithing was done in the days of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:5-6), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:35-39; 12:44) and Jesus (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42). In Malachi’s day, tithing was required (Malachi 3:8-10), and physical blessings were promised for obedience, just as physical blessings were promised for obedience to the old covenant.

Two or three tithes?

In ancient Israel, a tithe of all agricultural produce belonged to the Lord; ten percent of the crop was “holy to the Lord” (Leviticus 27:30). Ten percent of the herds were also holy (verse 32). God then gave these tithes to the Levites: “ I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting” (Numbers 18:21).

However, Deuteronomy 12:5-7 says that the people were supposed to take their tithes to the festival site, and eat them! “You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose” (verses 17-18). A different system of giving was required for some animals.The people were supposed to take their tithes to the festival site, and eat them. Deuteronomy 14:23 is similar.

Some people conclude that Deuteronomy is talking about a different tithe than Leviticus and Numbers are. They believe that Deuteronomy is talking about a second tithe, which was to be used only for festival expenses. This conclusion is based in large part on the logic that the same tithe could not be given to the Levites and eaten by the people at the festivals. However, this assumption may be wrong. For one thing, it would mean that Deuteronomy says nothing about first tithe, nothing about the financial support of the Levites, even though Deuteronomy was the “second law,” the re-stating of the basic laws of Israel. (page 160-161).

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Author and former military man Frank Chase Jr. grew in Baltimore, MD. He got interested in writing from watching movies and listening to a radio show called mystery theatre, but it was only in his thirties after a divorce that his desire to write escalated. His debut book “False Roads to Manhood: What Women Need to Know: What Men Need to Understand” took him seven years of research and writing. If he weren’t a writer, Frank would be a stage actor as it has been his passion since high school.Being a writer has taught him that everyone will not agree with you or what you may write, but it leaves a record and a legacy that can help future generations long after you have passed on. He is currently writing a scripture-centered book and also plans on writing a fiction novel soon. Read full interview…

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In this installment of tithing, I first want to say that this blog post came about becasue of a news article I read that a single women was fined not tithing, The article is titled, Single Mom Fined $1,000 by Church For Not Tithing–Threatens to Remove Her. After reading the article, I shook my head in disbelief and knew I had to write another blog post to address tithing. I guess I will be for the foreseeable furture continue to write tithing blogs until the monetary tithing madness ends. Let me make this clear as day, what you give to your church is your personal business. However no pastor has a right to take scripture out of context as a means to sustain a finanical system the Bible never endorses. So let’s take a magnifying glass to a scripture text to show that tithing in the Bible was not income but edible items. We know pastors love to quote Malachi but I will not start with that verse. You can get signed paperbacks, just order Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? from Paypalme for $23.87

Let’t take a look at Deuteronomy 26:12. I’m going to cite the NET transliteration to show you how droctrinal isegetical bias happens to erroneously mistranslate the word tithe to money. Tithe teachers who mandate monetary tithing use the NET version to buttress their postition by saying, “Here’s proof that tithing money valid because it says, When you finish tithing all you income in the third year (the year of tihiny), you must give it to the Levites, the residents foriegns, the orphans, and the widows so that they may eat to their satisfaction in your villages. They say with confidence that your paycheck is required to be tithed to God. Not so fast with that silver tongue. Look at the verse again. It clearly talks about Levites, foriegners, orphans and widows eating something. Notice this is not the same tithe that is spoken about in Malachi chaper 3. Wow! This verse clearly talks about about a different tithe that was paid and notice that it was eaten in the villages and towns where they lived. So in Israel there was more than one tithe based on this verse. As I have always stated that you must be careful with the different translations because many of them superimpose their ideas into the text. So in Deut 26:12 how in the world could the verse say income as if it was money and then end the verse talking about groups of people eating the tithe, which is supposedly money. It makes no sense ladies and gentlemen and it defies all logic, reason and biblical hermanuetics. The translaters inserted the word income to prop up monetary tithing, which means they intended to mislead by incorporating their opinions to influence a different interpreation of the verse out of context. If you study all 42 references of the word tithe in the NET version, the majority of the translaliteration uses the word produce, crops or similar. Why they inserted the word income in Deuteronomy 26:12 indicates to me that they wanted to set up a psychological and religous belief system that tithing money is biblical. It is an epic fail becuase the verse ends with eating food and not eating income. As the tithe is related to increase, I discussed its hebrew word Tbuwah in my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? So what happens today is that people view the word tithe through the lens of cash and coins based on their world view and their current economic persuation, while ignoring scriptural context.

How to do you prove the text of Deuteronomy 26:12 overwhelmingly speaks of livestock the crops? That’s easy. Pull out your scriptural magnifying class and microscope and let’s compare different Bible versions to see if monetary tithing is a Bible doctrine or mandate.

Deuteronomy 26:12

NET version:When you finish tithing all you income in the third year (the year of tihing), you must give it to the Levites, the residents foriegns, the orphans, and the widows so that they may eat to their satisfaction in your villages.

NIV version:When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.

NASB version:When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.

NLT version: Every third year you must offer a special tihe of your crops. You must give these tithes to the Levites, foriegeners, ophans, and widows so that htey will have enough to eat in your town.

CEV version:Every year you are to give ten percent of your harvest to the LORD. But every third year, this ten percent must be given to the poor who live in your town, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. That way, they will have enough to eat.

BBE version: When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thy produce in the third year, the year of tithing, thou shalt give it to the Levited, to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat in thy gates and be filled.

MSG version: Every third year, the year of the tithe, give a tenth of your produce to the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow so that they may eat their fill in your cities.

YLT version: When thou dost complete to tithe all the tithe of thine increase in the third year, the year of the tithe, then thou hast given to the Levite, to the sojourner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, and they have eaten within they gates, and been satisifed

ESV Version: When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled,

NKJV: When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled,

As you can see based on the preponderance of tithing evidence, there is no way anyone can conclude that the tithe in Deuteronomy 26:12 is money unless subterfuge is at play. Now this women based on the application of scriputure might fall in the catergory of widow, since she is single and if the verse 12 applied to money, her church was suppose to give her the tithe becuase she could have been poor. Pastors you can just interpret scripture as you see fit to maintain your finanical system. The NET translators took the Hebrew word for increase 08393 in Deuteronomy 26:12 and applied it to money and by doing so they intentionally clouded the original Hebrew langauage and the meaning of the word tithe which only deals with the harvest and not income. So when her church sent a letter with a fine of $1,000 for not paying tithes and by insinuating she robbed God is foolishness and I would tell her that she can ignore the words, Will a Man Rob God and know that she can eat her tithes and never have to pay tithes becuase her money is not what God wants as tithes.

Often you hear in church that God requires a tenth of your increase, and that is true if you are talking about livestock and crops, but it is not true in the case of money. Now I know that’s a hard pill to swallow if you’ve been taught that all of your life. But that’s why I write blogs to explain what certain words mean in the scriptures. The word increase is one of those biblical words that has church members discombobulted. So I think is important to share with you what increase mean. In my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway I give details on what increase really means and whether it applies to erroneous concept of monetary tithing. Here’s an excerpt from chapter 7 of my book, The tithe in Israel that should get you started on your research way so that you will not be fooled by scriptural shell games on what God considers increase. The ebook is now available at Amazon.

Every time the Bible mentions, it must always be linked with increases in livestock and produce rather than money. Only farmers, shepherds, cattle herders (of the 11 tribes), and Levites tithed in the land of Canaan. It is a scriptural fact that people ate the tithes, and nowhere does the Bible command a tithe from income as a substitute. It may be a good idea to explain what the word increase means as it relates to tithing. For non-Hebrew people unfamiliar with the intricacies of tithing, the system is basically non-intuitive for those not astute in Hebrew culture, practices, literature, and language.

In Canaan, they understood the tithing law applied to the land. Furthermore, only the people who lived in the Promised Land were required to tithe from the inherited land. Though the natural inclination of people is to accept teaching from the pulpit as unadulterated truth, churches have no biblical authority to receive tithes in the New Testament. The tithe law was only applicable to the Levites; Hebrews 7:5 is explicit in its instructions. As no pastor or minister holds the Levitical priesthood office, tithes are not applicable, as the tithe is passed down through the bloodline to the Levites.

When people use the word increase regarding tithes, they think it refers to money, crops and cattle. Increase in the text is not a command for people to pay 10 percent of their income. The word has numerous meanings in Hebrew. When a Scripture uses the word increase, the Hebrew meaning of the word must coincide with the context of the verse and chapter. For example, when you look up the word increase in Strong’s you will notice it says increase means income, i.e., produce (literally or figuratively). You will also see that the Hebrew word for increase means produce, i.e., crop or (fig) wealth. The problem is, people zoom in on income or wealth and assume tithing included money and forget the context of the verse and run theologically amok. For example, can you assume increase is money in Deuteronomy 14:28, which says, “At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates” (KJV). This verse actually refers to the tithe that is kept in towns for the people to use for food and has no connection to money.

When you read the verse in the NKJV, money is not a part of the context because even with the Hebrew word, the context drives the meaning of the word increase. Here’s how Deuteronomy 14:28 reads in the NKJV; “At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce [increase] of that year and store it up within your gates.” While I will not delve deeper into what increase means, you must do word study to understand that the word increase has no connection to paying tithes in money. When God said he wanted the Hebrew people to tithe against the increase in cattle, crops and flocks (animal births and crop growth); it was from an agricultural perspective. Yahweh’s increase in the yield applies in this formula: Gross yield less input or costs equals actual increase. That means, if you planted ten bushels of corn and only harvested ten bushels of corn, there was no increase, thus no tithe. If you harvested 20 bushels of corn, your increase was ten bushels and you would tithe 1 bushel of corn. When the word increase is used with tithing, God only expected a tithe based on the laws of agriculture and His labor. For example, He gave Israel abundant increase in food sources and expected a tithe from what grew from the ground and every tenth animal. God did not give the tithe to the Levites because they had no income. In fact, blessings from income in the Bible were not a result of people tithing money. People received income based on their hard work, including the Levites who worked when they were not on temple duty. The income from the work people performed belonged to the worker and the work God performed through increases in crops and cattle belonged to God. Therefore, the tithe came from the land through God’s efforts. The 11 tribes tithed from the land as a payment to God. The tithe was from something Yahweh created [the land] not from what man labors for as in income.

It is important that you avoid becoming a piece of merchandise in God’s Kingdom and the Bible makes this clear in 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 3, which says, “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” It is important to state that this single woman could not give from the heart as the Bible teaches, but she became a piece of merchandise to her church who wanted to fine her money for not tithing monetarily. Making merchandise of God’s people is the idea of selling something for money. The monetary tithe is being sold to members like snake oil and it is done by merchandising the the authentic biblical livestock and crop tithe based on greed. So I would advise that no believer should allow themselves to become a merchandise sidepiece in God’s kingdm by feeding the institutional church’s endless, insatiable deire for cash. That single woman should have taken that letter she got from her church and mailed it back stamped insufficient funds.

In the scriptures, Paul addressed the issue merchandising God’s people in several different places in the scriptures. He says that he would never practice merchandising or peddling the Word of God when he wrote, “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.” So the montetary tithe doctrine perpetrated acrosss the pulpit is peddling and trading of the word in an effort to gain finances from unsucpecting congregants who most likely do not study the Bible for themselves. And Paul continues his argument against merchandising in Acts 20:33-34 when he writes, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.” Paul would never offer the word for money and in his mind preaching the word for money was different from accepting and receiving gifts from believers which he made clear in 1 Cor. 9:14, “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” This passage has nothing to do with tithing but everything do with receiving gifts from believers as a means of support. When Paul says he coveted no man’s money, he made it clear that he worked and supported those who journeyed with him on his preaching endeavors. Paul worked so that his traveling companions would not become a public and financial charge to the congregations they visited. Paul often foregoes his right of support as the higher calling rather than insisting on people paying him to preach. Now that is a true Apostle.

If you look at the context of Deuteronomy 26:12 then read verse 14, it is clear th subject is not money but food and here is the butter on the bread in verse 14,

I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me.

The tithe was not eaten in verse 14, it was given to the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the stranger. So it is certain that the tithe context in Dueteronomy is about food and not money. Paul did not mence words in his dialouge with the Corinthians and tells them in no uncertain terms that he did not live like a mega church millionaire preacher. He said he worked hard with his own hands in 1 Cor. 4:11-13. “11 Even today we go hungry and thirsty and don’t have anything to wear except rags. We are mistreated and don’t have a place to live. 12 We work hard with our own hands, and when people abuse us, we wish them well. When we suffer, we are patient. 13 When someone curses us, we answer with kind words. Until now we are thought of as nothing more than the trash and garbage of this world” (CEV). Paul was a strict Pharisee (Act 26:4-5); he knew the law intimately and he knew that the law of tithing did not apply during the gospel dispinsation of salvation, which is why he never mentions tithing in any of the letters he wrote to the churches or to individuals.

So for the all the ladies out there who have been fined for not paying tithes, this post is for you. And in the spirit of Paul, let me say it is better to obey God in your giving rather than man-made dogma that you owe God a tenth of your income. Now to make it clear, if you do perticipate in the IRS 501c3 tax return giving plan where you give a ten of your income as a tax deductible gift to the church, that is certainly OK becuase you get to file that tax deductible gift on your return, which is perfectly legal. But know this, a tenth of your income is not an authentic biblical tithe, it is payment of a temple tax to support the institutional church, which is a part of the IRS code as a 501c3 for tax exempt churches. In the end, paying ten percent of your income to church and filing it on your income tax return, does that mean you tithed to the IRS and at the end of tax season, the IRS acting as God sends you a blessing refund check, which comes from the windows IRS heaven? I’m being facetious, but you get the point. When your pay ten percent to the church and file it on your tax returns, the IRS sends you a refund check in the mail. That has nothing to do with the Bible, tithes or curses from God. I’m not against charitible giving to any instution and that includes the church as well, but it important to state that because some people’s income levels are so high, it will necessitate that they give a tenth or more away, to avoid a huge tax bill from the IRS. So here’s the hard truth and facts ladies and gentlemen, we give in churh not only to support churches but we also give to lower our taxable income to get a refund. That’s not tithing, that’s simply accounting 101. A tenth of income cannot be called a biblical tithe because the empirical definiton of the tithe is the Hebrew word Ma’aser, which means everything editable that comes from livestock and crops. According to leviticus 27:30-33, the Bible says:

30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree [crops], is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, [livestock]of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD. 33 He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.’ ”

I hope this blog helps many people in search for truth about the tithe of the Bible. And I hope the lady who was sent a fine for not paying tithe one day discovers my book and know that she is not required to tithe to God, now, in the future becuase of grace and Christ sacrifice on the cross. And if need be I hope she read the New Testament givig slides below so she can be equipped to deal with modern tithe teaching that are not in the Bible. Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway is an ebook from Amazon and in PDF, iPad and Kindle from Book Baby.

Author and former military man Frank Chase Jr. grew in Baltimore, MD. He got interested in writing from watching movies and listening to a radio show called mystery theatre, but it was only in his thirties after a divorce that his desire to write escalated. His debut book “False Roads to Manhood: What Women Need to Know: What Men Need to Understand” took him seven years of research and writing. If he weren’t a writer, Frank would be a stage actor as it has been his passion since high school.Being a writer has taught him that everyone will not agree with you or what you may write, but it leaves a record and a legacy that can help future generations long after you have passed on. He is currently writing a scripture-centered book and also plans on writing a fiction novel soon. Read full interview…

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Take Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway on a email book blog tour. Get a copy of the Blog Tour below and help me celebrate the one year anniversary of Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway by sending my book on an email Book Blog Tour with your email network of friends or however your choose. Go to the link below and get the book blog document and share with your email network of friends.Frank Chase–Kleptomananiac Book Blog Tour Small pdf

When the truth smacks people in the face, the response sometimes comes in the form of obfuscation. That’s the case with monetary tithing. For a lot of people in the religious community who stand by the docrtine of monetary tithing, many of them don’t realize they are behaving like peasants. What do I mean by that? Well, the literal informal meaning defines a peasants “as an ignorant rude, or unsophisticated person; a person of low social status.” When it comes to tithing, many people go on the defensive and sometimes to the extreme to defend the monetary tithe doctrine that has no biblical support. At one time in history, the Bible was was entirely latin and during that time, the farming peasant community could not read so they had to depend on the religious elites to translate the words of the Bible, which made peasants vulnerable to whims of any transliteration or interpretation put forth by the religious leaders. Today, most people don’t really study tithing in its purest sense. That’s why preachers can interpret the tithe as money and the peasant congregation just accepts the interpretation because they believe what the preacher tells them even when the evidence suggests otherwise. Though the monetary tithe was created out of context in the back rooms of religious leaders centuries ago. They also had a plan to ensure tithing would exist in future ages and they way that happened was to convince people they would be cursed if they didn’t tithe and to convince people of boutiful blessings if they faithfully tithed using Malachi chapter 3, which was redefined for the masses of christian peasants. The whole monetary tithe ponzi plan was based on financial interests and had nothing to do with the Bible. You can get signed paperbacks, just order Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? from Paypalme for $23.87

One of the hardest things to do is to help people think outside of their religious dogmas when they are so endoctrinated to what they really believe is in the Bible. I find that frustrating when you think the goal of all Bible believers should be scriptural integrity, interpretation, hermanuetics and exegesis. However, scriptural authenticity oftens gets sacrifced on the alters of dogmatic eisegetical theology in the interest of mantaining the financial monetary tithe system God never endorsed. To maintain such a system, a certain amout of biblical ignorance must be preeminent, and being a scriptural peasant allows the monetary tithe system to continue unabated with its excesses and indulges running amuk. Even today we have created an aristocracy in Christanity with mega millionaire preachers and teachers of the Bible with mega churches and mega personal assets. Their are no shortages of haves-and-have-nots in the Church. Just a couple days ago, I tried to purchase a book trailer video from a vendor who was obviously a believer. He refuned my purchase saying, “Due to my spiritual beliefs, I am unable to do your video book trailer. I have refunded your purchase. God Bless.” The only way he could refuse my purchase was that my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway went against his beliefs about tithing. Now I know he did not read my book, but made a judgement call without ever knowing what was written in the book. As a business owner, he had a right to deny my purchase, but I think he did so based on a mis-interpretation of scripture. If I met him personally, I would say, “Did you reject my request based on true spiritual beliefs or did you reject my purchase based on non-bibical ideological censorship? If you are truly interested in theology, interpretation and research, you must never hesitate to question your beliefs. Your faith will be strengthened from investigating your beliefs. Whe you find something uncertain about your belief system, the best way to find aswers is to undertake research and study. This is how you will come to know the truth. Do not deny yourself the opportunity to learn further and strengthen your faith.”

I addresed the subject of tithing in my lastest video titled, Actually Tithing is Not in the Bible. The video talks about what people believe is in the Bible and share what the Bible says especially tithing. Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway is an ebook from Amazon and in PDF, iPad and Kindle from Book Baby.

Tithing money is not in the Bible and especially in the New Testament because giving is not a tithe for these reasons.

When I wrote my book, I set out to explain some of the passages and the logic behind some of the text in book bubbles. Many of the book bubbles share book excerpts and my thoughts about why I wrote the text or how the research affected me. My first book bubble, The Fight Continues deals with the views that churches have about tithing. And even though I published a book, teaching and sharing the truth about tithing has been a centuries-old fight. What has been difficult about tithing is learning that everyone has their own personal meaning what the term mean, so in my second book bubbles, Understanding Tithing Starts With a Definition explains the meaning of the term tithing to set the foundation so people won’t go off the rails on unfounded definitions. You have to establish and empirical definition before you can start talking about a subject and what it means. For me reasearch is important in getting to the bottom line of a subject, so my third book bubble, Research Brings Truth explains how I went about peeling back the layers of existing tithe doctrines in Christian theological circles. For many in the church, the argument has been that tithing existed before the law and that somehow justifies commuting the biblical food tithe to monetary tithing so that got me thinking about my forth book bubble, The Law Does Not Teach Money Tithing, which explains what the law actually taught about tithing and frankly the law did not say a utter a word about tithing income from a paycheck. One of the argument you will likely hear from the pulpit is that that Bible requires a tithe on the increase. Now on face value that is true, but what is the increase and how does the Bible define increase? That lead to my fifth book bubble, Tithing on Increase, which explains what the word means in context of scripture and not financial considerations of our current economic system. In the Bible the word increase has a different meaning and is confined to the economic system of that time. Tithing and giving have been conflated, redefined, taken out of context so much so that true giving is lost becuase of the confusion. In my sixth, book bubble, What Does True Giving Look Like? I try to explain biblical practice of freewill giving over the erroneous practice of monetary tithing which is not on the pages of the Bible. Many assume monetary tithing has always been the case, but in my seventh book bubble, Arguments Against Tithing Has a Long History, I share historical examples of people speaking out against the unlawful tampering of scripture to justify collecting money as a tithe. Long before many of us were born, many before us stood against the monetary tithe and paid the price with their lives. The debate has been whether the tithe is money or food, so to address that issue, my eighth book bubble, Monetary Tithing or Edible Tithing, Which One? puts to rest what the tithe is by sharing insight from the Jewish historian Josephus. Often when a financial system is threatened by exposing it fautly underpinnings, in this case church titing, there are no lengths the church will not go to make sure the status remain in tack. This lead me to write my ninth book bubble, The Church and its Money Grab Tactics to expose the different methods churches employ to collect ten percent of peoples paychecks. You would think that in scripture, one would be able to find a definitive postion on monetary tithing, and though we give Apostle Paut credit for penning much of the New Testament, my tenth book bubble, Paul Never Taught Believer to Tithe Money examines what Pau’s giving position was and how he viewed support gospel preachers. And guess what ladies and gentlemen, it was not tithing. Any time you have a conversation with a person who believes in tithing is to ask them to show you where Jesus paid monetary tithes. The first thing that will hit the person is cognitive dissonance because they won’t be able to find on verse to support their position. That is why my eleventh book bubble, Jesus and His Ministry Never Received Tithes talks about how the Messiah and the deciples received support and why Jesus could not pay or receive tithes. At some point in digging up the truth about monetary tithing after years of research, you have to conclude that as I did that tithing is not required, and that’s what my tweleveth book bubble, Official Orthodox Biblical Tithing Has Passed Away closes the book on the differences between tithing and giving by allowing context to define the tithe centuris ago and now as edible items (crops, livestock, grain, and flocks). This term first fruits, which is often confused with tihing is my thirteenth book bubble titled, What are First Fruits in the Bible? In this bubble, it is clear the Bible never defined first fruits as money as some do today, but in my author insight about the book excerpt, I make it clear that tithing and first fruits have exclusive meanings and can never be interchanged. Eating tithes verses paying tithes has been the quintessential question of the ages and yet when the Bible is pretty explicit that tithes are eatible items, some still won’t accept the truth of the word so in my fourteenth book bubble, Eating Tithes vs Paying Tithes I explain my thoughts on why people choose falsehood over truth. The first question one must ask when talking bout tithes is Jesus did not pay a tithe or collect a tithe, why should I be paying money the Bible does not require. I try to answer those question in my latest book bubble titled, Did Jesus Collect Tithes? I hope these book bubble give you information that you would go to my website and purchase a signed copy my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? For those who are interested in giving in the New Testament, I completed a partial power point study titled, New Testament Giving. There you will find what I discovered about giving in the New Testament. The ebook is now available at Amazon.

Now, I’m not the only one who writes about tithing. I am certainly not the only author whose published books on tithing. One of my facebook Friends Who Like Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? named Rob Robey wrote an excellent article about tithing. I would hope that one day the person who refused my order for a book trailer would read my book and this post to learn more about tithing before turning down business simply based on an unresearch religous belief. Here is what Rob Robey wrote about tithing.

The Lord gave me understanding many, many years ago.

The Monetary Tithe Requirement Doctrine: An Invention of Man
by Ronald W Robey

A few years back, someone told me that he had talked to five (5) different “Biblical Scholars” about my stance on Scriptural tithing and they all informed him that I was wrong.

My response was simple. I didn’t consult with “Biblical Scholars” to arrive at my conclusion… I went straight to the source… the infallible and inerrant word of God. I would hope this would be the actions of all who want to be approved (2 Tim. 2:15) in God’s eyes.

We are instructed by the Apostle Paul to “put on the full armor of God” (Eph. 6:11) and above all to “take up the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:16-17)

How can one be taking up the word of God when one is embracing and teaching doctrine that is contrary to that which holy men of old penned down as they were moved by the Holy Spirit to do?

There are only a handful of instances where we find people tithing in the word of God. A true “Biblical Scholar” shouldn’t have a problem looking up those few instances.

The word “tithes” in relation to a voluntary tithe appears only 1 time in 1 verse in the KJV. (Gen. 14:20) Context reveals that this tithe is from war spoils and not from Abram’s own property or riches.

The word “tithing” in relation to God’s commanded tithe appears only 2 times in 1 verse of the KJV. (Deut. 26:12) This tithe is from agricultural increase only.

The phrase “the tenth” in relation to God’s commanded tithe is found only 2 times in 2 verses of the KJV. (Lev. 27:32; Num. 18:21) This tithe is from agricultural increase only.

The phrase “the tenth” in relation to a voluntary tithe is found only 2 times in 2 verses in the KJV. (Gen. 28:22; Heb. 7:4) This tithe is from spoils of war and not from Abraham’s own property or riches.

The phrase “the tenth” in relation to a forced tithe by man is found only 2 times in 2 verses in the KJV. (1 Sam. 8:15,17) Those who choose man to rule over them tithe according to the invention of their ruler. They have rejected God.

The phrase “a tenth” in relation to a voluntary tithe is found only 1 time in 1 verse in the KJV. (Heb 7:2) This tithe is of war spoils and was not of Abraham’s property or riches.

That is a total of 36 verses in the entire KJV that refer to God’s commanded tithe. Of all those verses, not a single one instructs, or commands one tithing one’s monetary income. The 36 verses that refer to God’s commanded tithe refer to food, and they can be found in the dispensation of the Mosaic Law between Leviticus 27: 30 and Hebrews 7:9. (see the above references)

There is only one tithe in the entire Bible that may have contained money, and that is the tithe given to Melchizedek by Abram in the Valley of Shaveh.

Abram gave Melchizedek tithes of the spoils of war. Abram had promised God he would not keep any of the spoils as his own lest he give Bera, the king of Sodom, occasion to brag that he had made Abram rich.

This reveals that what Abram tithed was not his own property, but the property of others! Nor did Abram tithe his monetary income to Melchizedek. Rather, he tithed the spoils of war.

Further, Abram is never said to have ever tithed again. A one time tithe to Melchizedek,… of the spoils of war,… is this whose tithe we are to emulate? Then only a once-in-a-lifetime tithe is required; and that of war spoils, not of one’s monetary income.

Jacob is revealed to have promised God that he would give him a tenth of all that God would give him. A careful study of the word of God will reveal that what Jacob vowed to tithe was not monetary income,… he vowed to tithe a tenth of the land that God promised to give Jacob and his descendants.

And, once Jacob’s descendants moved into the Promised Land, God held them to their father Jacob’s vow. God required that tithe that Jacob had set apart for God. (Gen. 28:20-22; Lev. 27:30-34)

God required tithes of agricultural crops and livestock from the children of Israel. (Lev. 27:30-34) They were “holy” to God. Set apart by the Patriarch Jacob.

Are we to tithe in the manner that the children of Israel tithed? If so, then it is to be agricultural, restricting it to only landowners who have crops and livestock. It is to be taken to farming communities in the Promised Land, not anywhere else in the world. Of those tithes, the tither is to eat with his family. How many pastors tell their congregations to eat a tithe with their families? It is highly doubtful that any pastors do.

The long and short of it is, that which pastors tell their congregations is God’s tithe today, cannot be found anywhere in the pages of God’s Holy word. Today’s monetary tithe requirement doctrine is the invention of man, not a decree of God.

Brethren, open your Bibles and study. Don’t read, but STUDY. You will find what I have written does not conflict with what the word of God says concerning the tithe or tithes God has commanded in His word.

What does conflict with His word, is the monetary tithe being taught in the pulpits by men who are supposed to be teaching truth rather than error. They are supposed to preach the word, not inventions of man.

Our giving is not to be of necessity, (2 Cor. 9:7) yet pastors make it such. Our giving should not be because of guilt, yet pastors have no problem making their congregation feel guilty by accusing them of “robbing God” if they don’t tithe.

The Bible tells us to choose in our own hearts what we want to give. (2 Cor. 9:7) If we follow God’s instruction rather than distorted doctrine, God will be pleased with us.

Now, I ask, why does one need some kind of Theological Degree to study the word and come to the same conclusions I have on the topic of tithes? It appears that Theological Degrees have not helped the aforementioned “Biblical Scholars” to rightly divide the word of Truth, for they teach contrary to what the Scriptures teach on the subject of tithing.

Will I bow to the demands of the preacher who teaches that I am to tithe my money to the Church? Not until that preacher can provide Scripture from the word of God that says the Christian is to tithe his or her monetary income to the Church. In all my years of studying the word of God, I have yet to find said Scripture.”

The book is very insightful and informative about the history of tithing and giving in the Church. The book is a fascinating journey into the land, language and literature of the Israelite people and their tithing practices. The author meticulously examines tithe verses and brings to light their meaning using the Hebrew and Greek language. Even if one does not agree with his analysis, it would be difficult to dismiss what the author’s findings reveal. If a person seeks to gain a real understanding and education about tithing and its original meaning, this book is a good place to begin your theological research journey. They say knowledge is power and this book certainly contains a lot of knowledge. Get a copy at http://www.fcpublishing.com/about_kle….

So I’ll conclude with these two slides from from my New Testamment Giving Study. Maybe the ten percent you give to your church, although is ok if you give it from your heart, and so is someone who gives 3, 2, 5, 7 or 9 percent. The reason its ok not to be bound by percentage giving is that whatever you give must come from the heart. However, another thought is that your ten percent is not a tithe as we’ve already proven, but your tenth paid to your church represents a tax, a temple tax of sorts that you file on your income taxes and get a refund from the government, which does not amont to the windows of heaven opening up and pouring you out a blessing as erroneously taught from the pulpit. The income tax check from all your tithes paid to the church is blessing refund from the IRS not the windows of God’s heaven.

Author and former military man Frank Chase Jr. grew in Baltimore, MD. He got interested in writing from watching movies and listening to a radio show called mystery theatre, but it was only in his thirties after a divorce that his desire to write escalated. His debut book “False Roads to Manhood: What Women Need to Know: What Men Need to Understand” took him seven years of research and writing. If he weren’t a writer, Frank would be a stage actor as it has been his passion since high school.Being a writer has taught him that everyone will not agree with you or what you may write, but it leaves a record and a legacy that can help future generations long after you have passed on. He is currently writing a scripture-centered book and also plans on writing a fiction novel soon. Read full interview… Take Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway on a email book blog tour. Get a copy of the Blog Tour below and help me celebrate the one year anniversary of Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway by sending my book on an email Book Blog Tour with your email network of friends or however your choose. Go to the link below and get the book blog document and share with your email network of friends. Frank Chase–Kleptomananiac Book Blog Tour Small pdf Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway will be featured on Good Kindles at Free and Bargain ebooks Book Promotion site for AuthorsKleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? by Frank Chase Jr My rating: 5 of 5 stars The book is very insightful and informative about the history of tithing and giving in the Church. The book is a fascinating journey into the land, language and literature of the Israelite people and their tithing practices. The author meticulously examines tithe verses and brings to light their meaning using the Hebrew and Greek language. Even if one does not agree with his analysis, it would be difficult to dismiss what the author’s findings reveal. If a person seeks to gain a real understanding and education about tithing and its original meaning, this book is a good place to begin your theological research journey. They say knowledge is power and this book certainly contains a lot of knowledge. Get a copy at http://www.fcpublishing.com/about_kle…. View all my reviews Do you really want to know the truth about tithing? Read this investigative manifesto before you commit to tithing ten percent of your income. It has been several years now since I discovered the truth tithing. From the very beginning of my journey I set out to study and find the truth about about the motivations behind the stranglehold tradition of paying ten percent of your income to a church. Today is Sunday, February 19th and their won’t be a sermon that won’t discuss tithing and how it is important for every believer to hand over ten percent or be cursed by God. For 30 years, I was subjected to that teaching and lived in fear of a curse from God. But when I put those mandatory tithing teachings under the microscope of scriptural hermeneutics and exegesis, the monetary tithe doctrine didn’t pass the smell test. To my amazement, I was simply stunned at my ignorance of how easy tithe teachings could be proven false. Below, is one of my first video interviews I had with a friend some years ago. It was the first time I had discussed tithing in a video. The video was my first attempt to explain tithing. I look back at it now, are realize what I know now about tithing was far more than I knew during the video. You can get signed paperbacks, just order Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? from Paypalme for $23.87 Why do people seem to choose ignorance over truth? Even when scriptural evidence overwhelmingly proves tithing is not money and never has been, some will fall on the sword of ignorance to prove tithing is ten percent of a person’s income. Falsehood in any form can have a powerful impact on what people believe. We know this is true because at one time in human history, people believed the world was flat, even when scientist said the world was round. And we know that those who questioned the validity of a flat earth didn’t fair well with what religion taught as that time. It is religion still that keeps the false monetary tithe doctrine alive with the use of fear tactics to make sure people do not question whether tithing is money or food. One of the things I did was to study the Bible on money. That’s because I wanted to be sure that no Israelite paid a tithe in money, i.e gold, silver or shekels. One way to determine if money was tithed in the Bible is to study every single scriptural verse to see if any of them indicate whether money was tithed to the temple or the tent of meeting. A large portion of my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway deals with money in the Bible. In every verse that references money, their was never an instance where individuals paid a tenth of income to the temple. So in the face of this unquestionable evidence, why would a pastor, pew sitter or church member swallow the monetary tithe doctrine when the Bible disputes that a tithe is ten percent of a person’s income. In Chapter 6 of my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? I titled the chapter, Show Me the Money. I examine many Bible verses that reference money, and I never found one instance of someone paying tithe money. Imagine what would happen if you were told all your life that a tithe is ten percent of income, only to discover that it was not true and that biblically a tithe can only be eatible items such as crops and cattle. In my mind, I was simple blown away by the facts. Then afterwards, how would I deal with this newfound truth and how would others respond when I this news with them? For me, others didn’t take it so well and thought I was losing my mind. I studied really hard because at first I doubted what I reading in books and what I heard in videos. But the more I researched and read in books, my cognitive dissonance about tithing being ten percent of income took a back seat to the indisputable truth. Studying the money verses in the Bible put the nail in the proverbial coffin of tithing ten percent income. For an example, I will share an excerpt from chapter 6, Show Me the Money, from my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? Read and study the verse and determine for yourself if you can squeeze tithe money of any of the verses in chapter 6 of the excerpt.

Chapter 6

Show Me the Money

“Cold hard cash plays a role in our society and in the church. The money tithe system is the major source of income for the modern church institution. To sustain the influx of money, people must invent fundraising schemes to keep the money flow constant. The Bible even says in Ecclesiastes 10:19 “…But money answers everything.” This Bible verse speaks volumes because pastors and church leaders who support tithing, view money as the ultimate answer to ministry rather than trusting God to move on the hearts of people. Weekly cheerleading sermons focus on how important it is for believers to open their wallets and pocketbooks and hand over 10 percent to God to receive manifold blessings. The argument that you owe God a tithe and you can’t beat God giving is powerful in collecting a tenth of income. However, no one ever discusses that theologians, Jewish sects, scribes, pastors, and Christians have argued over the validity of tithing money for centuries. Some who investigate biblical history on this phenomenon have concluded with certainty that biblical people tithed crops, cattle, sheep, goats and flocks but also gave money. Today, those who disagree with mandatory tithing doctrines have garnered the wrath of institutional church leaders; some feel marginalized and devalued because of their stand against tithing. This chapter examines many Old Testament Bible verses with the word money. In fact, there are 140 verses in the Bible that use the word money. Believers should research every Scripture to discover how biblical people have historically handled money. Money was vital in the Bible; however, some argue that Israel and secular nations did not use money in a significant way. Some believers think Israel’s entire economy was agricultural. However, if money was not an important commodity of that time, why are there 140 money verses as opposed to only 38 references to tithe/tithes in the Scripture? While I cannot cover all 140 biblical references in this chapter, I will highlight some of them to give you insight into Israel’s money practices. In this chapter, you will discover whether money was tithed in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The proof that someone actually tithed money in the Scriptures must be clear. Somewhere on the pages of the sacred text, it must be evident that Yahweh converted the herd and crop tithe to money. We know the Old Testament mentions both money and tithes but they are not synonymous. The power of money can change churches, governments, nations and people’s lives for good and for bad. So what does the word money mean in Hebrew? The Hebrew word for money in the Old Testament is “keceph/kecep” (Strong’s #3701). In the Theological Wordbook of the Testament (TWOT) the reference is 1015a. It is defined as a type of metal or silver that has a pale color. Every Scripture in this chapter dealing with money uses the same Hebrew word. The first time money is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 17:12-13, 23: …He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. …So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him (NKJV). There is no need to discuss where Abraham’s money came from as this was discussed earlier. This first reference has to do with circumcision, which was the covenant in place at that time. Abraham is following God’s commands regarding the circumcision covenant for those born in his house and for people he purchased from foreigners to work in his house who were required to be circumcised also. There is no mention of tithing money in the text. The theological question that will stump dogmatic tithe proponents is why does the Bible mention money first yet does not mention Abraham tithing money? God gave a command to circumcise male foreskin rather than to circumcise people’s wallets and pocketbooks by 10 percent. If you read Genesis from beginning to end, you will not find money tithing either implied or directly commanded by God. When people study tithing, they rarely look at the Scriptures dealing with money because they are convinced of their theology on the subject. The Bible contains multiple money transactions that took place regularly and not once does anyone pay a tithe out of money. There is one instance where the tithe was converted to money; however, the money was not used as a tithe but was used to repurchase tithe items at the temple. This will be discussed later. The second instance of a non-tithe money transaction deals with Abraham making a land purchase in Genesis 23:9,13, 16. …that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you. …and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.” And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants(NJKV). With “keceph” in mind, Abraham negotiates a purchase price for a burial plot for his family with silver shekels (money). The context is enlightening because Abraham had a promise from God to give him the land of Canaan but he still insists on settling on a fair price to gain the title to the land by accepting the terms set by the merchants. Abraham’s integrity would not allow him to accept land for free from the people of Heth and Ephron. Abraham paid 400 pieces of silver for the land in the company of witnesses just like most people do today when they purchase a home. If tithing was really important before the law, why does the Scripture not contain specific tithing details similar to how land purchases were done? There are important words in the land purchase deal that gives insight into the economic practices of that time. The Hebrew word for merchant is “cachar”(Strong’s #5503). The TWOT is 1486, which means “sahar”. The merchant in the text speaks of someone who goes about to and fro in the land doing trades and making business deals. If you go back and read Genesis 23, which deals with Abraham’s land purchase, does it not look like an early ancient banking system where the merchant/banker set the terms of the contract? The land deal reveals that a system of ancient currency existed in Abraham’s time. In verse 16, the words “currency of the merchants” indicates that the value of money/silver varied in similar ways to modern day markets. Based on the Hebrew word, silver is minted in pieces such as shekels, which had a value according to their weight. Abraham needed to weigh out his money/silver to arrive at the value of 400 shekels. The Hebrew word for merchant in conjunction with the context offers a clear understanding that people traded in goods and used money as a means of exchange. God’s promise that Abraham would inherit the land of Canaan began with Abraham’s purchase of land in foreign territory. The people knew Abraham was a stranger in their land and understood it was not customary to sell land to a stranger; however, Abraham was deeded the land in Genesis 23:17. We don’t know how much money Abraham paid but based on my research, it was a large sum of money. The subject here has nothing to do with tithing and everything to do with land purchases. No one can advocate tithing using Genesis Chapter 23 because there is no tithe instruction in the text. To argue for tithing using Jacob’s example is empty scriptural rhetoric.

Does God Establish Money Tithing in Genesis?

In Genesis 31:14-15, the Bible deals with money but oddly enough, the text talks about dowries and land purchases associated with Abraham’s grandson, Jacob. In Chapter 4, I talked about Jacob promising to give a tenth of everything he received. In verses 14-15, Jacob’s wives, Rachel and Leah say, “…There’s nothing left for us to inherit from our father. He treats us like foreigners and has even cheated us out of the bride price that should have been ours” (CEV). The context here deals with silver that Rachael and Leah knew was due to them as a part of their inheritance from their father. Remember Jacob was on the run from his brother and heading to his uncle, Laban’s house. He arrived empty handed and made a deal with Laban by selling his labor. The tradition was that a man paid a bride price for the women he would marry. Jacob paid with his labor and worked seven years for Rachael; however, his uncle tricked him, and told Jacob that he had to take the oldest daughter first. Jacob then worked seven more years for Rachael to be his wife. Why does the Scripture not reference Jacob honoring a tithe system during those fourteen years? The wages Laban paid to Jacob was changed 10 times, so where did Jacob take his tithe to from those wages? Let me tell you what Jacob did with his wages: he bought sheep and goats. The CEV version makes this clear: “I had to work fourteen years of these twenty long years to earn your two daughters and another six years to buy your sheep and goats” (Genesis 31:42). If you read the story about Jacob’s wealth in Genesis Chapters 29-31, especially Chapter 30, verse 43, it is clear that he become rich but it was not in money. Though Jacob had money, his wealth was increased through his cattle, flocks, camels, donkeys, and male and female servants. How do we know Jacob’s wealth is factual? Laban’s sons accused him of taking their father’s riches resulting in them having no inheritance in Genesis 31:1, “Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth” (NKJV). The story continues in Chapter 31 proving that Jacob never took anything from Laban. Despite Jacob’s issues with Laban during the twenty years he worked for him, the Bible does not mention that tithing was important during this pre-law period. Another example of money not being tithed is in Genesis Chapter 33:18-19, when Jacob buys land much like his grandfather. Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city. And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money (NKJV). The context deals with Jacob buying a piece of property. The strange occurrence here is that if God promised the land of Canaan to his family, why is Jacob negotiating with the children of Hamor to purchase land? What we notice is that to have full ownership and deed to the land, a legal act to purchase the land was required. God promises are sovereign; however; His promises do not negate our responsibility to act in a legal way. In Jacob’s case, God promised the land, but Jacob still had to legally purchase the land to have full ownership. The phrase in the text one hundred pieces of money is Strong’s #7192. It is the Hebrew word “quesiytah,” which is a unit of unknown valve and the TWOT #2081 suggests it means to weigh out. Apparently the value of the one-hundred and ten pieces of money weighted out are pieces of silver, but the Bible does not indicate how much the silver pieces cost in dollars during Jacob’s time. The next instance of money handling in the Bible occurs in Egypt with Jacob’s son, Joseph. However, there is no mention of either of them tithing silver or gold throughout their life story. The story of Joseph’s brothers dropping him in a pit and eventually selling him into servitude in Egypt is a fascinating story. As the years passed, Jacob’s son’s deceived him into thinking that a wild animal killed Joseph. During this time, a famine broke out in the land and Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to purchase grain. I will not cover the entire story, but I will focus on the money aspect of the story. Genesis 42 begins the story and throughout the whole saga money is mentioned as part of the conversation but never as a tithing practice. The context is about hunger and famine. Genesis 42:25, 27 and 35 mention money in relation to food and nothing else. Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them… But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid (NKJV). Reading the story about the money issue provides insight into what was really important during this time. You can also read Genesis 42:12, 15, 18 and 21-23, which show more information about money. As the Scriptures declare, Jacob sent his sons from Canaan to Egypt to buy grain with money. When the brothers arrived in Egypt, Joseph recognized them, but the brothers did not recognize him. Genesis 42 says Joseph sent them back home to bring back their youngest brother, Benjamin, to test their trust. Unaware that Joseph had put the money they brought to buy grain back into their sacks, they returned home. When the brothers got home, they found the money and were shocked and afraid that their father Jacob would accuse them of misdeeds that would bring the wrath of Pharaoh on them. This event is important because it shows that people were in dire straights and needed food, yet tithing was not even on the radar. The famine drove the people of Canaan to Egypt where Joseph stored goods in preparation for hard times. The verse shows Jacob using money to pay for grain during a famine in which money becomes less important than food. Hungry people do not worry about tithing; they are concerned about where to get their next meal. If tithing were a robust practice during this time, the famine would have prevented people from engaging in the practice because there was no food or crops to tithe. The text also uses the phrase “bundles of money” but to understand this term it should be studied in depth so that you don’t interpret the text as Joseph putting extreme sums of money in their sacks. The Hebrew word for bundles is Strong’s #6872. It’s means “tserowr” and in the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT), the reference is #1973e and #1975c. Bundles mean parcel, pouch, or bag. The context is bags of money or moneybags containing silver. How much money those bags contained is not described in the text but what the verse tells us is that money played a significant role in Egypt and Canaan. In Genesis Chapters 42-47, the famine worsens and money starts running out. When money was no longer useful, some people sold themselves, their cattle or their land to Joseph to obtain grain from Pharaoh’s storehouse. In Genesis 47:14, 16, and 18 you can see that money was not tithed. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain, which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.” Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land…” (NKJV). At some point, Jacob was broke and destitute and needed food for survival because his cattle and money were gone. At this point, it would be stretching the truth to argue tithing ever took place in the Jacob story. The only storehouses being filled with money was the house of Pharaoh under the auspices of Joseph. Even when the Egyptian people ran out of money and needed food, they had to sell themselves and their starving cattle to Pharaoh. From the text, Joseph did not follow a tithing law when he set up the rules for the famine. Everything associated with the one-fifth and four-fifths Joseph required related to eatable items rather than money. If an eternal tithing principal existed before the law, the Israelites did not practice it during their 430 years in Egypt. In Genesis 47:23-25, you see something interesting concerning tithing before the law. After Joseph bought land and people for Pharaoh, he gave them seed to sow. Then he tells them to hand over one-fifth (twenty percent) of the crops at harvest time and the other four-fifths (eighty percent) they could keep as seeds for the field, food for themselves and their children. The text also says that they could plant four-fifths for food. Nowhere is it implied that tithing is important during the pre-law stage of Israel’s journey during a colossal famine throughout Egypt and the surrounding lands. The astonishing fact about Genesis 47 is that if Joseph knew about a pre-law tithing principle, why was he collecting twenty percent of the harvest and giving it to Pharaoh? Doesn’t the tithe belong to God? Also, isn’t the tithe one-tenth of the crop and every tenth eatable animal? If Joseph knew of a pre-law tithing requirement, could he have really asked for a tithe from the Egyptians for the temples in Egypt? It does not seem probable because of the famine. On the flip side, could Joseph have asked for a tithe from any Israelite and put that tithe in the storehouses of the Egyptian Gods? Another question is, would Joseph’s family pay twenty percent to Pharaoh from the crop they planted? Wouldn’t it be a sin for Joseph to take a tithe from the Israelites in Israel and give it to Pharaoh’s priests in Egypt when the tithe belonged to God? At this point, you can see it is fruitless to argue that some pre-law tithe existed. The point remains that Jacob promised a tenth so why didn’t he tell his sons, including Joseph, about his promise? This journey of discovering money in the Bible is not some cheap, parlor, translation trick. The Bible, when interpreted correctly, can lead to freedom from deception that can ruin your financial life. Throughout Genesis there are no examples of anyone tithing money. So let’s move to Exodus to unearth how Exodus deals with money in the wilderness.

Did God Establish Tithing In Exodus?

Money Scriptures in Exodus are plentiful. There is no way to cover every reference to money in Exodus; however, examining some of the verses is necessary to obtain context. Exodus doesn’t open up with a focus on tithing but with instructions on how Israelites were to handle the Passover meal and who could partake in the covenant practice. Exodus should be a place where God stresses the important of the tithe as they prepared to leave Egypt. Instead, God focuses on what they should do with the slaves they bought with money and their participation in the Passover meal. Exodus 12:44 reads: “But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it” (NKJV). In verse 45, temporary workers among Israelites could not eat the Passover meal. It seems that a perceived tithe instruction was not that important to God but the Passover meal was as they left Egypt. A person who supports tithing before the law has to invent a preposterous position as to why the first mention of money in Exodus is about slaves and the Passover rather than tithing. Exodus tells a story of Israel’s bondage in Egypt and their exit to freedom to a new land. An observant reader of the text must not overlook the small nuances in the Bible dealing with this time period. For example, Jeremiah 2:2 says: …Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says the LORD: I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown… (NKJV). This verse instructs the prophet to remind the Israelites about details of their wilderness years. When you examine the entire context of the wilderness journey, how can you prove tithing existed in Exodus? Jeremiah 2:2 is a fascinating smoking gun and reveals an interesting fact about sowing seed in the wilderness. If the Jews could not sow seed in the wilderness, they could not tithe. Based on God’s word, there was no tithing during Israel’s 40-year wilderness journey because Jeremiah 2:2 says the land was not sown. Instead, God feed them quail and manna from heaven. In Exodus 21, God instructs Israel on how to handle male and female Hebrew slaves, and fathers who sold their daughters into marriage, and also gave specific rules for human interaction relating to accidents. Verse 30 is about animal laws and money and it says, “If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay to redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him.” The context is about a person who failed to fence in his bull, which had a habit of goring and killing people. As a result, the owner’s bull was stoned to death. The family of the deceased could ask for the owner’s life as a penalty or they could require a specific amount of money from the owner to save his life to avoid the death penalty. The Bible calls this redeeming a life from death. In the same chapter, God holds people accountable for payment of money if a person’s animal falls into a pit and dies or if the animal kills another animal. Exodus 21:33-35 say: And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his. If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide (NKJV). In all the verses dealing with money, it is amazing that God never addresses tithing commands as Israel prepared to leave Egypt. When you read about the events of Israel in the Old Testament, money is well integrated into their culture and customs. So when people tell you that Israel only operated as an agricultural society, you should say there are 140 instances of money referenced throughout the Old Testament, and Yahweh never instructed anyone to tithe money. Another example of money appears in Exodus 22:7. Did you know that God believes it is more important that a thief pays back what he steals than for someone to tithe money? Verse seven says, “If a man delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods” (NKJV). What we see in this verse is how the Most High views stolen property. The property rights of people were important and tithing is still not on the list. If an Israelite left property in the care of another and the person’s house is vandalized and the items left in his neighbor’s care falls into the hands of the robber, the thief had to pay double money for his actions. This brings up another question: if a thief today is held accountable to pay double for what he steals instead of going to jail, wouldn’t that serve as a deterrent to robbery? Being forced to pay twenty thousand dollars for stealing ten thousand dollars worth of goods is a steep price for stealing. In Exodus and before the law, others things were more important to Yahweh than tithing. As the Hebrew people left Egypt for the Promised Land, God gave Moses instructions on everything a society would need to exist in harmony. The question is: if tithing was so important before the law, why did the Most High simply leave out instructions on tithing? Perhaps the answer is simply, God never required money as a tithe and that is why the Scriptures are silent. Another instance of money handling is in Exodus 22:25. In the verse, Yahweh gives Moses guidelines on lending not tithing. The verse says, “if you lend money to any of my people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest” (NKJV). God’s instructions on how the Hebrew people ought to handle money were very specific. People outside of the farming and herding community in Israel never tithed money. The context of verse 25 has to do with God’s concern about generosity, not interest payments or taxing the poor. The law viewed charging interest on poor Hebrews as unwarranted profiteering from another brother’s misfortune. On the flip side, the law allowed the Hebrews to charge interest on loans made to foreigners in Deuteronomy 23:20. Some Bibles use the word usury as in Exodus 22:25. This word is important because usury in Hebrew means “neshek,” (Strong’s #5392), which literally means a bite, like in how interest causes pain to the debtor. On the opposite side of the coin, in Leviticus 25:36-37, the word increase in Hebrew is “marbit” or “tarbit” which denotes the gain on the creditor’s side of the loan and later becomes the Hebrew word “ribbit.” Ezekiel 18:13 and 17 address lending on usury or interest and deems it a crime and the worst of all sins. Exacting interest is also addressed in Proverbs 28:8 and Psalms 15:5. The Bible clearly says that a man is righteous when he does not lend on usury.[i] Earlier I mentioned that charging interest was like a bite. Since usury denotes a bite, then a bite implies pain to the person who has to pay the interest. Doesn’t a poor person who tithes 10 percent of their income hurt like they were bitten? From a Hebrew perspective, the idiom implies that paying interest is like being bitten by a snake or a serpent. If after you give, you experience financial, emotional, or spiritual pain from neglecting unmet needs, your giving is likened to a snakebite. That is not true giving. If you study money in Exodus, you’ll learn everything God wanted from his people. If money tithing was a practice, why did God not instruct the Hebrew people to tithe money? The Hebrew words “maaser kesafim” for tithe money is not found on the pages of the Bible. Unger’s Bible Dictionary makes the point that Israelites were not a commercial people in the purest sense, so money was rarely loaned for business purposes but rather to aid the struggling poor.[ii] The E-BOOK version of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) makes a similar claim; it states, “In the Old Testament period loans were not of a commercial nature, i.e., they were not granted to enable a man to start or run a business. They were really a form of charity, and were made by the lender only to meet the pressure of poverty. To the borrower, they were esteemed a form of misfortunate (Deuteronomy 28:12) and to the lender a form of beneficence. Hence, the tone of the Mosaic legislation on the subject.” Based on these two definitions, we see God could never asked for money as a tithe to take care of the temple upkeep because it would violate His own law concerning the rules for money use. Churches today redefine the biblical tithe as money and then use the so-called tithe to pay mortgages, bills and salaries. If a pie chart of every church was published, I’m sure it would show most of the money going to business matters and not to the poor, the very opposite of Israel’s use of money. God’s idea about money is clear; He never gives any instruction or command to tithe money. God focused on how the poor were treated and how He would avenge them if they cried out to Him for help when society took advantage of their misfortunate. I want to conclude by looking at one more money verse. Exodus 30:16, reveals how the temple received support. The temple did not receive money through tithing; rather it received atonement money. The verse says, “And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves” (NKJV). The context of the chapter is self-explanatory. Remember, when the census took place, the population would have included millions of Hebrew people and mixed multitudes of ethnicities that left Egypt. Later in the book, I will examine other instances of how the temple obtained financial support without the tithe. Exodus 30 mentions how Israel established the sanctuary/temple dues; however, this was not a tenth of income. Is this a smoking gun that dismantles tithe proponents arguments? Every Israelite male counted in the census twenty years old and above had to pay atonement money. Notice that the money was used for temple upkeep. The rich and poor paid the same amount. Some scholars and theologians propose the half-shekel they paid would be equivalent 5 to 8 dollars today. In Moses time, the amount could have been anywhere from 25 to 50 cents. When you count the number of Israelites who paid the half-shekel, it was a large sum of money to cover expenses related to temple upkeep. Exodus 30:11-16 was the primary fundraising method for the temple. The temple received money every year for upkeep and operations no matter where the Hebrew people lived until its destruction in AD 70. Temple upkeep is also addressed in Exodus 38:21-31. Examples from Exodus do not give one principle of money tithing. The evidence in Genesis and Exodus should be enough to stop the tide of modern tithe arguments, but that won’t happen unless more Christian authors, writers, theologians and students proclaim the truth about tithing and giving. Now let’s look at the book of Leviticus to understand God’s perspective on money.” [i] Dembitz, L., & Jacobs, J. (Eds.). (n.d.). Usury. Retrieved September 18, 2014,from http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14615-usury. [ii] Unger, M. F. (1957, 1961, 1966). Unger’s Bible Dictionary (p.1128). Chicago: Moody Press.

Books By Author Frank Chase Jr

Books

KLEPTOMANIAC: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?

Interested in purchasing a copy of the book KLEPTOMANIAC. This book is a journey into the annuals of biblical history concerning what the Bible teaches about tithing and giving. This book will take you on a proverbial archeological quest to uncover the true meaning of biblical words that deal with money. When confusion exists about what certain words mean in the Bible, such as tithe, tithing, tenth or ten percent, this book will examine the Hebrew and Greek language to bring to life what these words actually mean in context. This book will upend the common beliefs held by believers concerning giving and tithing based on the history of the original people of the Bible and how they related to money. From the very beginning to the end of the book, everything is supported by Scripture and research. You will know from the onset why the author, Dr. Frank Chase Jr., wrote the book and learn about his personal story of what happened as a result of embracing New Covenant giving principles from the New Testament. No book asks questions like this book. And some of those questions are: does the Bible talk about tithing? Did God change the tithe at some point in biblical history? Are first fruits money? Is the tithe food or money? Is the church the storehouse? Did Jesus, Paul and the Disciples tithe? Did the early church honor a money tithe system? Are Christians really cursed for not tithing ten percent of their income? These questions will be answered based on scholarship, the land, the language and the literature of the original Biblical people. Not only does the book cover the Old Testament tithe, but it will travel through time to unveil what the New Testament teaches about giving and tithing by analyzing some of the epistles of Apostle Paul concerning his views and the instructions he gave on charitable giving. This book defines biblical terms using the Hebrew and Greek text to bring clarity and understanding of the scripture in context. KLEPTOMANIAC defines the actual orthodox biblical tithe.

Get get a signed copy from the author's website at http://www.fcpublishing.com/about_kleptomaniac. Price includes tax, shipping and handling.
If you just want a copy of the ebook, go to https://store.bookbaby.com/book/kleptomaniac